Monitoring perchlorate exposure and thyroid hormone status among raccoons inhabiting a perchlorate-contaminated site

Perchlorate is a water soluble anion that is readily accumulated in vegetation. It inhibits uptake of iodide into thyroid gland tissue, thereby reducing production of thyroid hormones. Potential raccoon food items including berries, fish, and vegetation collected at a contaminated site contained quantifiable concentrations of perchlorate as determined by ion chromatography. Therefore, we monitored resident raccoons for exposure to perchlorate by examining plasma perchlorate and thyroid hormone concentrations. Resulting analytical data failed to demonstrate perchlorate exposure among raccoons that likely consumed food items collected along perchlorate-contaminated water bodies. There were no correlations between triiodothyronine or thyroxine and thyroid stimulating hormone concentrations, but triiodothyronine concentrations in raccoon plasma were significantly higher in 2000 than in 2001 (p = 0.0081). These data suggest that natural attenuation and remedial efforts initiated in January of 2001 may have reduced perchlorate exposure among raccoons inhabiting this site from 2000 to 2001. Temporal, spatial, and analytical factors limited our ability to quantify exposure among raccoons, however, our data do not indicate that raccoons currently inhabiting this site are at risk for significant exposure to perchlorate and subsequent effects.     

Role of water chemistry on estrone removal by nanofiltration with the presence of hydrophobic acids

Hydrophobic acid organic matter (HpoA) extracted from treated effluent has been known to improve the rejection of steroid hormone estrone by reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes. In this study, the effects of solution chemistry (solution pH and ionic strength) on the estrone rejection by NF membrane with the presence of HpoA were systematically investigated. Crossflow nanofiltration experiments show that the presence of HpoA significantly improved estrone rejection at all pH and ionic strength levels investigated. It is consistently shown that the “enhancement effect” of HpoA on estrone rejection at neutral and alkaline pH is attributed to the binding of estrone by HpoA macromolecules via hydrogen bonding between phenolic functional groups in feed solutions, which leads to an increase in molecular weight and appearance of negative charge. The membrane exhibited the best performance in terms of estrone rejection at pH 10.4 (compared to pH 4 and pH 7) as a result of strengthening the electrostatic repulsion between estrone and membrane with the presence of HpoA. At neutral pH level, the ability of HpoA macromolecules to promote estrone rejection became stronger with increasing ionic strength due to their more extended conformation, which created more chances for the association between estrone and HpoA. The important conclusion of this study is that increasing solution pH and salinity can greatly intensify the “enhancement effect” of HpoA. These results can be important for NF application in direct/indirect potable water reuse.     

苦马豆素致糖基转移酶活性改变对小鼠生殖激素分泌的影响

苦马豆素是疯草主要有毒成分,抑制α-甘露糖苷酶的活性,引起N-聚糖加工过程失调。笔者课题组前期研究得出:苦马豆素致糖蛋白激素(促卵泡素和促黄体素)糖基化位点上糖链结构发生改变,引起促性腺激素功能发生改变。而苦马豆素中毒对家畜生殖激素分泌的调节机制尚不明确。苦马豆素腹腔注射对小鼠进行染毒,收集妊娠期和分娩期小鼠的血液、子宫和卵巢组织,检测糖基转移酶活性、生殖激素水平及其受体mRNA和类固醇限速酶蛋白质表达量。结果表明:在妊娠和分娩期,苦马豆素致子宫内膜固有层大量低聚糖蓄积,显著抑制N-聚糖加工过程关键糖基转移酶的活性(P0.05);染毒组小鼠血液的生殖激素包括促卵泡素(FSH)、促黄体素(LH)、雌激素(E2)和孕酮(P4)水平显著低于对照组(P0.05)。在整个妊娠周期,染毒组小鼠4种激素受体mRNA的表达量显著低于对照组(P0.05)。在妊娠后期,染毒组小鼠3-β羟基类固醇脱氢酶(3-βHSD)和芳香化酶(CYP19A1)蛋白表达量显著低于对照组(P0.05)。苦马豆素可使N-聚糖加工紊乱,引起促性腺激素分泌降低,进一步降低生殖激素受体和性类固醇激素限速酶的表达量,致使性类固醇激素分泌下降,导致生殖激素分泌紊乱,最终结果造成机体繁殖性能下降。     

生产源区人血中多溴联苯醚水平与甲状腺激素相关性研究

采用气相色谱/负化学电离源-质谱法对莱州湾南岸地区十溴联苯醚生产源区36位居民血清中的5种多溴联苯醚浓度进行了检测,同时测定了样品中的甲状腺激素水平.血清中Σ5PBDEs（BDE-28、-47、-153、-183、-209）的质量浓度范围（以脂重计算,下同）为130.3～4 478.4 ng.g-1,平均值为529.9 ng.g-1.5种同族体中,BDE-209对Σ5PBDEs的平均贡献率达到了69.8%.在与甲状腺激素水平的相关性研究中,计算了两者的Spearman秩相关系数,结果显示BDE-28、-47、-153、-183与TSH水平呈高度负相关,BDE-183与fT4水平呈现显著性负相关,而BDE-28、-47与T3,BDE-28、-153、-183与fT3之间均呈现显著性正相关.本研究中,生产源区人体血清中PBDEs水平处于较高的暴露水平,主要同类物为BDE-209,人体对PBDEs的暴露会影响上述4种甲状腺激素的水平,PBDEs对人体的影响不容忽视,有关PBDEs暴露水平与甲状腺激素水平之间的相关性,应进一步深入研究.     

环境激素研究进展探讨

环境激素是一种外源性物质,能干扰生物体正常的内分泌,主要对生物体的生理过程产生很大的影响。目前已知的环境激素大概有70种左右,已经成为世界重大环境问题之一。对环境激素的概念、种类、来源、影响、作用方式以及研究现状等进行了初步的介绍。     

环境激素类有机氯农药的用途和危害

介绍了世界自然基金会<环境中被报告具有生殖和内分泌干扰作用的化学物质清单>中16种环境激素类有机氯农药的污染状况、基本概况、用途、危害以及针对有机氯农药污染的治理措施.     

运输应激对二花脸和皮特兰猪血浆应激和代谢相关激素水平的影响

比较二花脸和皮特兰猪在2h运输过程中血浆ACTH、皮质醇、胰岛素和T3、T4水平的动态变化模式,以分析内分泌激素变化的品种特征.选用雄性二花脸猪10头,皮特兰猪6头,体重达20kg时安装颈静脉瘘管,1wk后运输试验,运输过程中不同时间点采集血样,放射免疫分析法测定血浆激素水平.上车后两品种猪ACTH水平缓慢上升,60min后达到峰值,下车后15min恢复至基础水平,运输过程中ACTH水平及变化幅度均未表现显著的品种差异;运输前皮质醇水平二花脸显著高于皮特兰猪,上车后两品种皮质醇均迅速上升,出发后15min达到峰值,下车后15min均快速恢复至基础水平,运输过程中皮特兰皮质醇上升的幅度显著高于二花脸猪;两品种胰岛素水平上车后均呈下降趋势,二花脸胰岛素水平总体上显著高于皮特兰猪;T3水平在上车后也表现快速下降,无论是T3水平还是其变化幅度均不表现显著的品种差异;皮特兰猪上车后T4水平稍微下降而二花脸猪显著下降,皮特兰T4水平总体显著高于二花脸猪.运输应激伴随血浆ACTH和皮质醇水平升高,而胰岛素、T3和T4水平下降,皮质醇水平升高的幅度能够反映猪的应激敏感性.图1参25     

环境激素污染研究进展及污染防治

环境激素具有类雌激素活性 ,能对生物和人体的内分泌机能造成影响 ;环境激素污染可导致各种生物的生殖功能下降和生殖器免疫力降低 ,并引起各种生理异常。本文对国内外环境重金属激素和有机激素的研究进行了综述 ,并总结了防治环境激素污染的主要技术手段 ;指出环境激素致毒生物化学机理研究、环境激素在环境介质中的迁移 转化 积累的行为研究、环境激素容量分析以及环境激素物质的进一步筛选是国际环境科学领域的重要研究方向和前沿领域。     

环境中内分泌干扰物质的研究概述

在总结最新文献的基础上，就环境中的内分泌干扰物质的概念，研究背景，研究方法，在环境中的分布情况作了简单综述和介绍，并对有待开展的研究提出了建议，为国内在环境内分泌干扰物方面的研究提供参考。     

Regulation of honey bee division of labor by colony age demography

The age at which worker honey bees begin foraging varies under different colony conditions. Previous studies have shown that juvenile hormone (JH) mediates this behavioral plasticity, and that worker-worker interactions influence both JH titers and age at first foraging. These results also indicated that the age at first foraging is delayed in the presence of foragers, suggesting that colony age demography directly influences temporal division of labor. We tested this hypothesis by determining whether behavioral or physiological development can be accelerated, delayed, or reversed by altering colony age structure. In three out of three trials, earlier onset of foraging was induced in colonies depleted of foragers compared to colonies depleted of an equal number of bees across all age classes. In two out of three trials, delayed onset of foraging was induced in colonies in which foragers were confined compared to colonies with free-flying foragers. Finally, in three out of three trials, both endocrine and exocrine changes associated with reversion from foraging to brood care were induced in colonies composed of all old bees and devoid of brood; JH titers decreased and hypopharyngeal glands regenerated. These results demonstrate that plasticity in age-related division of labor in honey bee colonies is at least partially controlled by social factors. The implications of these results are discussed for the recently developed ‘‘activator-inhibitor” model for honey bee behavioral development. Received: 8 November 1995/Accepted after revision: 10 May 1996