Toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic modelling in an individual based context—Consequences of parameter variability

Toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic (TKTD) models simulate the time-course of toxicant concentration in the organism and toxicity at the level of the organism. A link between TKTD models that simulate survival and individual based models for populations (IBMs) is proposed which allows TKTD parameters to vary between individuals. The TKTD-IBM predicts different survival in response to toxicants when TKTD parameters vary amongst individuals compared to the survival predicted with fixed TKTD parameters. The model with fixed parameters represents the concept of stochastic death whereas the model with variable parameters behaves, at least partly, according to the individual tolerance distribution concept. The whole set of TKTD parameters of an individual can be interpreted as constituting “individual tolerance”.     

Same stimuli,different responses: a pilot study assessing air pollution visibility impacts on emotional well-being in a controlled environment

● Emotional responses to visibility-reducing haze was assessed in a controlled lab. ● Valence and arousal have non-linear responses to pollution-caused low visibility. ● Repetitive exposure aggravates negative emotions in severely polluted conditions. ● Emotional bias to pollution relates with gender, decisiveness, attitude to clean air. A growing number of studies have shown that impaired visibility caused by particulate matter pollution influences emotional wellbeing. However, evidence is still scant on how this effect varies across individuals and over repetitive visual exposure in a controlled environment. Herein, we designed a lab-based experiment (41 subjects, 6 blocks) where participants were presented with real-scene images of 12 different PM_2.5 concentrations in each block. Emotional valence (negative to positive) and arousal (calm to excited) were self-rated by participants per image, and the response time for each rating was recorded. We find that as pollution level increases from 10 to 260 µg/m³, valence scores decrease, whereas arousal scores decline first and then bounce back, following a U-shaped trend. When air quality deteriorates, individual variability decreases in hedonic valence but increases in arousal. Over blocks, repetitive visual exposure increases valence at a moderate pollution level but aggravates negative emotions in severely polluted conditions (> 150 µg/m³). Finally, we find females, people who are slow in making responses, and those who are highly aroused by clean air tend to express more negative responses (so-called negativity bias) to ambient pollution than their respective counterparts. These results provide deeper insights into individual-level emotional responses to dirty air in a controlled environment. Although the findings in our pilot study should only be directly applied to the conditions assessed herein, we introduce a framework that can be replicated in different regions to assess the impact of air pollution on local emotional wellbeing.     

人群聚集行为对空气微生物组成及人体健康风险影响分析

受相关疫情的影响,人群聚集行为对空气中微生物的组成及人体健康风险的影响成为研究的热点。以西安两处典型公共场所为观察对象,基于传统培养分离方法和16S rDNA分子生物学技术,结合《中国人群暴露参数手册(成人卷)》中的相关参数,揭示了人群聚集行为对空气微生物组成的影响,评估了微生物暴露对人体造成的健康风险。结果表明,较之人群聚集前,人群聚集时两个地点的空气微生物污染级别皆由清洁变成中污染。分离培养数据显示:人群聚集时,空气中的细菌种类较人群聚集前增加了11种,真菌种类增加了5种,且微生物菌落颜色、形态、湿润度和生理生化特征等均出现了变动;病原性微生物的种类由2种增加到9种,其中有5种达到了BSL-2级高生物风险,且属于人畜共患病病原菌。健康风险评价结果显示,人群聚集时,人体健康暴露风险系数相比人群聚集前增加了1.28~4.96倍,且男性的暴露风险系数显著高于女性。因此,建议在人群高聚集时段适当限制人流量并保持空间空气流通,以预防潜在传染病的暴发,有效保障人群健康。     

医护人员血源性病原体职业危害研究进展

本研究的目的是了解医护人员血源性病原体职业接触流行特征、职业危害及其研究进展。结果表明,发生针刺及其他锐器损伤的最主要的职业群体是护理人员,最容易导致医护人员损伤的锐器为注射器针头、玻璃安瓿、缝合针和手术刀片等,导致医护人员锐器伤的最常见的医疗操作是注射、缝合和采血。发生血源性病原体职业接触后,医护人员可能感染HBV、HCV及HIV等多种血源性病原体。国内既往研究大多关注伤害发生率及相关危险因素,未对血源性病原体职业接触后感染HBV、HCV及HIV的风险开展研究,尚需通过建立队列,开展前瞻性调查研究。     

日常衣物中的邻苯二甲酸酯污染及其人体暴露风险

邻苯二甲酸酯(PAEs)作为一类内分泌干扰物,被广泛应用于工业生产。为了查明日常衣物中PAEs的污染状况,并评估其通过衣物的皮肤接触可能造成的人体暴露风险,本研究检测了日常生活中的新、旧衣服中7种典型PAEs的浓度,并通过实验模拟研究了衣料中PAEs向汗液的析出行为。结果表明,邻苯二甲酸二丁酯(DBP)和邻苯二甲酸二异辛酯(DEHP)分别是旧衣服和新衣服中的代表性PAE。旧衣服中DEHP的浓度显著高于新衣服;婴儿衣服中DEHP的浓度高于成人衣服。穿着和清洗过程中的二次污染可能对衣服中的PAEs有显著影响,衣服材质可能是影响旧衣服中PAEs浓度的重要因素。汗液会导致衣物中的PAEs析出,从而明显增加PAEs的人体暴露风险。     

环境剂量磷酸三(1,3-二氯异丙基)酯多代暴露对斑马鱼子代仔鱼的神经发育毒性

为探究环境剂量磷酸三(1,3-二氯异丙基)酯(TDCIPP)多代暴露对生物体的影响,选取斑马鱼为模型,研究了斑马鱼暴露于0、3、30和300 ng·L~(-1)TDCIPP至3代后,对每一代子代5 dpf仔鱼神经发育的毒性效应。研究结果表明,F0代暴露于300ng·L~(-1)TDCIPP 120 d后所产F1代仔鱼的孵化率显著性下降,存活率显著性降低;但对F2代和F3代仔鱼的这些终点指标均无显著性影响。运动行为结果表明,F0代暴露于3和300 ng·L~(-1)TDCIPP 120 d会导致F1代仔鱼在光暗周期刺激下的游泳速度受到抑制,并伴随着神经元发育基因(ngn1)以及轴突生长标志基因(α1-tubulin、netrin1b和zn5)的显著性上调,相关性分析表明,游泳速度的抑制与ngn1、α1-tubulin和zn5这3个基因的表达显著相关。但对F2代仔鱼,仅300 ng·L~(-1)TDCIPP导致其游泳速度在黑暗刺激下显著性下降,且导致神经发育和再生相关基因(elavl3、gap43、gfap和shha)表达量显著性下降,但游泳速度的下降与基因表达无显著相关性。继续暴露至F3代仔鱼时,TDCIPP暴露对运动行为不再有显著影响。研究表明,环境剂量TDCIPP多代暴露对子代仔鱼具有神经发育毒性,表现为运动行为受损和神经发育相关基因表达量的改变,但毒性效应随着暴露代数的增加而减弱。     

Distribution of bisphenol-A, triclosan and n-nonylphenol in human adipose tissue, liver and brain

In this study, an analytical method was optimized for the determination of bisphenol-A (BPA), triclosan (TCS) and 4-n-nonylphenol (4n-NP), environmental contaminants with potential endocrine disruptive activities, in human tissues. The method consisted of a liquid extraction step, derivatization with pentafluorobenzoylchloride followed by a clean-up on acidified silica and detection with gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-ECNI/MS). Recoveries ranged between 92% and 102% with a precision below 5%. Limits of quantification ranged between 0.3-0.4 ng g⁻¹, 0.045-0.06 ng g⁻¹ and 0.003-0.004 ng g⁻¹ for BPA, TCS and 4n-NP in different tissues, respectively. The method was applied for the determination of BPA, TCS and 4n-NP in paired adipose tissue, liver and brain samples from 11 individuals. BPA could be detected in almost all tissues, with the highest concentrations found in adipose tissue (mean 3.78 ng g⁻¹), followed by liver (1.48 ng g⁻¹) and brain (0.91 ng g⁻¹). TCS showed the highest concentrations in liver (3.14 ng g⁻¹), followed by adipose tissue (0.61 ng g⁻¹), while it could be detected in only one brain sample. Levels of 4n-NP were much lower, mostly undetected, and therefore 4n-NP is considered of minor importance for human exposure. Despite the measurable concentrations in adipose tissue, these compounds seem to have a low bioaccumulation potential. The reported concentrations of free BPA in the various tissues are slight disagreement with pharmacokinetic models in humans and rats and therefore the possibility of external contamination with BPA during sample collection/storage cannot be ruled out.     

Copper oxide nanoparticles can induce toxicity to the freshwater shredder Allogamus ligonifer

Increased commercialisation of nanometal-based products augments the possibility of their deposition into aquatic ecosystems; this, in turn, may pose risks to aquatic biota and associated ecological functions. Freshwater invertebrate shredders mostly use microbially-colonized plant litter as food resource and play an important role in aquatic detritus food webs. We assessed lethal effects of nanoCuO on the shredder Allogamus ligonifer (Trichoptera, Limnephilidae) by determining the concentration that induced 50% of death (LC₅₀), and sublethal effects of nanoCuO on the feeding behaviour and growth of the shredder by exposing the animals to: (i) stream water supplemented with nanoCuO and microbially-colonized leaves, and (ii) stream water (without nanoCuO) and microbially-colonized leaves pre-exposed to nanoCuO. Results from acute lethal tests showed that the 96 h LC₅₀ of nanoCuO was very high (569 mg L⁻¹). In the absence of nanoparticles, leaf consumption rate was 0.27 mg leaf DM mg⁻¹ animal DM d⁻¹ and the shredder growth rate was 56 μg animal DM mg⁻¹ animal DM d⁻¹. A significant inhibition in leaf consumption rate (up to 47%) and invertebrate growth rate (up to 46%) was observed when shredders were exposed to the higher tested sublethal concentration of nanoCuO (75 mg L⁻¹) through either contaminated stream water or pre-contaminated food. The exposure to increased nanoCuO concentration via water or pre-contaminated food led to higher accumulation of copper in the larval body. Leached water-soluble ionic copper from the nanoCuO adsorbed or accumulated in the shredder (up to 10.2% of total Cu) seemed to influence the feeding behaviour and growth of the shredder.     

利用AQUATOX模型评价淀山湖二氯甲烷生态风险

淀山湖地处上海的饮用水源地,水体中有机污染物的生态风险逐渐引起人们的重视。淀山湖水质监测结果显示,淀山湖中的挥发性有机物以二氯甲烷为主。应用美国环境保护署的AQUATOX模型对淀山湖水体中二氯甲烷进行模拟,并进行生态风险评价,旨在构建基于AQUATOX模型的水环境中有机物浓度模拟方法及风险评价的研究体系。结果显示,淀山湖中的二氯甲烷尚处于安全范围,但是需要加强观测,避免高风险的发生。     

210Pb-dating of a lake sediment core from Lough Carra (Co. Mayo, western Ireland): use of paleolimnological data for chronology validation below the 210Pb dating horizon

The chronologies and sediment accumulation rates for a lake sediment sequence from Lough Carra (Co. Mayo, western Ireland) were established by applying the constant initial concentration (CIC) and constant rate of supply (CRS) hypotheses to the measured ²¹⁰Pb_excess profile. The resulting chronologies were validated using the artificial fallout radionuclides ¹³⁷Cs and ²⁴¹Am, which provide independent chronostratigraphic markers for the second half of the 20th century. The validity of extrapolating the derived CIC and CRS dates below the ²¹⁰Pb dating horizon using average sedimentation rates was investigated using supplementary paleolimnological information and historical data. Our data confirm that such an extrapolation is well justified at sites characterised by relatively stable sedimentation conditions.