The effect of in utero exposure to dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls on reproductive development in eight year-old children

We have previously reported on the effects of in utero exposure to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on thyroid function and growth hormone concentrations at birth and in two and five year-old children. Herein, we present our most recent follow-up examination findings for the same cohort of children at eight-years of age. A total of 56 children (23 boys, 33 girls) were examined. Bone age (BA), hormone concentrations, and indicators of reproductive development including Tanner, breast, genital, and armpit stages were assessed. Estradiol concentrations were significantly lower in children exposed to higher levels than median of PCDD/Fs + PCBs TEQ compared to the children exposed to levels lesser than median (P = 0.003). Girls exposed to higher levels than median of indicator PCBs had a significantly greater proportion in genital stage 1 and shorter fundi and uteri lengths, as compared to those exposed to low levels (P = 0.025 and P < 0.05, respectively). There was a significant negative relationship between estradiol concentrations and PCDD/Fs + PCB exposure level (P = 0.005). After adjusting for BA, there was a significant association between fundus length and indicator PCB exposure level (P = 0.034). Exposure to both high levels of ΣPCDD/Fs + PCBs TEQ and high levels of total PCBs was associated with decreased fundus length (P = 0.016) and uterus length (P = 0.016). In utero exposure to high levels of PCDD/Fs and PCBs may result in lower estradiol concentrations in eight year-old children and impaired reproductive development in girls.     

Early ontogenetic effects on song quality in the Bengalese finch (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lonchura striata</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">domestica</Emphasis>): laying order,sibling competition,and song syntax

Birdsong differs from other sexual traits in that the acquisition process involves learning. Especially in close-ended learning species like the Bengalese finch, conditions experienced during the critical song-learning period can have a profound influence on song quality. Therefore, to understand song evolution from a life-history perspective, we investigated early ontogenetic effects on song quality. In particular, we focused on maternal effects and sibling competition. In asynchronously hatching bird species, the age hierarchy among nestlings affects physical development due to competition for food; mothers may influence this competition by adjusting their investment in each egg according to its sequence in the laying order. To independently assess these effects, chicks of the Bengalese finch were cross-fostered so that the age hierarchies formed in fostered broods were independent of the laying order. Our results indicate that song quality partially reflects early ontogenetic conditions, whereas song duration and note-type repertoire were independent of either laying order or age hierarchy. The syntactical complexity of note order declined over the laying sequence. This finding suggests that the song learning ability is influenced by within-clutch variation in maternal investment toward eggs. Considering that song syntactical complexity is subject to female preference in the Bengalese finch, it is likely that maternal resource allocation strategies play a role in song evolution.     

不同使用年限蔬菜大棚土壤重金属含量变化

调查了 1、5、8、1 1a棚龄蔬菜大棚土壤中重金属元素As、Cd、Co、Cr、Cu、Hg、Fe、Mn、Mo、Ni、Pb和Zn的含量。结果表明 :同一使用年限的蔬菜大棚 0～ 40cm土层内重金属元素含量差异很小 ;与棚外土壤相比 ,除 1a棚龄的土壤外 ,多数土壤重金属含量随大棚使用年限的延长而有所增加 ;研究地区的蔬菜大棚土壤尚未发生重金属污染超标现象 ;大量施肥 (复合肥 )可能是导致蔬菜大棚土壤中重金属含量升高的主要原因     

Maternal investment, sex-differential prospects, and the sex ratio in wild house mice

In a population of first-generation offspring from wild-caught house mice (Mus musculus domesticus), previous evidence suggested that male fitness is more strongly affected by an increase in body weight than female fitness. This paper shows that in these mice the young are weaned at heavier weights the smaller the litter and the better the maternal body condition. These effects persisted into adulthood and were less pronounced in female young. However, contrary to expectation from conventional sex ratio theory, maternal condition and litter size had no detectable effect on sex ratios. Also, litter size did not affect sex ratios in two populations of laboratory-kept, wild-caught western (M. m. domesticus) and eastern house mice (M. m. musculus). Wild house mice, therefore, appear not to adaptively manipulate the sex ratio of offspring. It is argued that this absence of sex ratio trends might not be maladaptive, but rather that models currently used to predict sex ratio trends in rodents may not be valid. Received: 13 March 1997 / Accepted after revision: 9 August 1997     

宿松-枞阳断裂最新活动时代及未来地震危险性研究

宿松—枞阳断裂卫星影像清晰,是一条对构造、地貌、中新生代盆地有着控制意义的断裂。本文对该断裂所处的区域地震地质构造背景进行了分析,结合断裂的发育历史,选择典型剖面,对断裂的最新活动特征进行调查。根据野外地质考察和断裂沿线地震活动统计结果,对断裂未来的地震危险性进行了定量评估。分析认为,该断裂晚第四纪以来仍然有所活动,但活动强度已减弱,未来可能发生无地表位错的中强地震,最大震级综合判定为M5.5。     

Male-biased maternal expenditure and associated costs in fallow deer

This study tested whether fallow deer mothers, Dama dama, bias their investment towards sons and, thus, whether sons are more costly to produce than daughters. Young (2 years) and old (≥3 years) hinds were analysed separately. Old hinds who raised sons accumulated less body mass than those who raised daughters, during the period between late gestation and the end of lactation. This difference in body mass persisted to the following spring. Mothers who had raised sons gave birth later and their offspring's pre-winter mass was lower the following year than for mothers who had raised daughters. These results indicate higher expenditure for hinds who raise sons and support theories of male-biased maternal investment. However, young mothers with sons and those with daughters did not differ in reproductive performance the following year. One reason might be that young mothers are close to the maximum level of maternal expenditure, since they are still growing, and cannot invest any extra resources in sons. Received: 28 August 1997 / Accepted after revision: 5 April 1998     

Concentrations of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in needles of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana L.) growing nearby different industrial sources

Emissions from industrial activities pose a serious threat to human health and impose the need for monitoring both inorganic and organic pollutants in industrial areas.We selected Masson pine (Pinus massoniana L.) as potential biomonitor and collected the current (C) and previous year (C+1) needles from three industrial sites dominated by petrochemical,ceramics manufacturing,and iron and steel smelting plants and one remote site to determine heavy metals (Cu,Cd,Pb,Zn,Cr,Ni and Co) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in unwashed and water-washed needles.Both unwashed and washed C+1 needles showed generally higher concentrations of heavy metals and PAHs than C needles,although the washed needles more clearly spotlighted the accumulation effect of PAHs over exposure time.Water-washing resulted in a significant decrease in needle PAH concentrations with more significant effects shown in C needles.By contrast,needle heavy metal concentrations were much less affected by washing.Although heavy metals and PAHs might differ in adsorption and uptake strategies,their higher concentrations in the needles at the industrial sites indicated conspicuous contamination due to industrial emissions there,The PAH distribution patterns in pine needles accorded with the real types of energy consumption in the study sites and were efficiently used for pinpointing local pollutant sources.     

First trimester amniocentesis between the seventh and 13th weeks: Evaluation of the earliest possible genetic diagnosis

Amniocentesis performed at the 12th week and later gives reliable results. The procedure can be performed using regimens developed for mid-trimester amniotic fluid (AF) cells. Extension to the 10th–11th week is, in principle, feasible. However, the high cytogenetic failure rate is a difficulty and despite a high clone count, the culture time is prolonged. The problem of the relatively high loss of AF could be overcome by cell filtration techniques and replacement of the fluid. Because of the short turnover rate of the AF, this may be unnecessary or replacement with an isotonic solution may be sufficient. (Pseudo)mosaicism appears to occur more frequently in early than in late amniocentesis. As yet, data are too sparse to allow a comparison with chorionic villus sampling. There are no reliable follow-up data from which to estimate the abortion rate and the number of embryonic malformations.     

滇西北地区高寒草甸多年生草本植物年轮特征分析

近年来的研究表明,年轮在多年生草本植物根部广泛分布,并且每年都会形成新的年轮。然而,目前对于滇西北高寒草甸草本植物年轮的存在及年轮特征的研究甚少,草本植物的年龄也基本未知。本文以滇西北高寒草甸的15种多年生草本植物为研究对象,分析了主根次生木质部的年轮特征,测量了年轮宽度及导管参数。结果表明：11种植物具有清晰的年轮结构,60%的植物具有清晰或相对清晰的年轮边界。这些草本植物的生长期是从2012到2017年,平均年龄为3.8岁（2—6岁）。该地区的物种生活史缩短的主要原因可能是高山林线以上的环境胁迫导致的。在草本植物生长前期,主营养生长,草本植物的径向生长与气候之间存在较为密切的关系,气候变化对高山草甸植被的影响直接作用于草本植物的生理生态过程中。高海拔地区光照充足,植物具有较强的光合作用,使得多年生草本植物的生长速率和导水效率随年龄增长呈上升趋势,这也可能是对全球变暖的积极反馈机制。随着年龄的增加,草本植物为增加生存和繁殖成功的机率,会采取一系列自我保护措施,改变生活史策略,减少导管数量,同时减小导管的大小。     

Digit length ratio (2D/4D): comparing measurements from X-rays and photographs in field voles (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Microtus agrestis</Emphasis>)

The ratio of second-to-fourth digit length (2D/4D) has been suggested to be a useful adult age marker of intrauterine exposure to steroids because it should be sexually dimorphic and fixed already in utero. Numerous studies mainly on humans have supported this conclusion, but it is yet unclear how well this applies to other vertebrates. This information would be especially valuable to field biologists to whom measuring steroids in utero is often impossible. The non-human studies conducted so far have yielded inconsistent results, perhaps due to the variety of different methods employed in measuring 2D/4D. We examined the age and sex dependency and lateral asymmetry of 2D/4D in field voles (Microtus agrestis) and compared whether these effects differed between 2D/4D measurements taken from photographs and X-rays. Our results show that 2D/4D measurements from photos had a higher measurement error and gave consistently higher 2D/4D than those from X-rays. According to both measurement methods, the right paw showed higher 2D/4D values than the left paw (lateral asymmetry). Adult voles had a lower 2D/4D than juveniles when measured from X-rays, but not when measured from photographs. We found no evidence for a sex difference in 2D/4D using either of the measurement methods. Our findings thus suggest that X-rays, due to their greater accuracy, should be preferred over photographs for measuring digit ratios in rodents. Our results also indicate that in this species, 2D/4D is laterally asymmetric, but it may not be either fixed in utero or sexually dimorphic. In conclusion, 2D/4D appears to be a rather species- and method-specific measure and researchers should be careful when generalising its applicability to study early hormonal effects in vertebrates.