Early murine immune responses from endotracheal exposures to biotechnology-related Bacillus strains

An immunology-based in vivo screening regime was used to assess the potential pathogenicity of biotechnology-related microbes. Strains of Bacillus cereus (Bc), Bacillus subtilis (Bs), Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), and Bt commercial products (CPs) were tested. Balb/c mice were endotracheally instilled with purified spores, diluted CP, or vegetative cells (VC) (live or dead). Exposed mice were evaluated for changes in behavioral and physical symptoms, bacterial clearance, pulmonary granulocytes, and pulmonary and circulatory pyrogenic cytokines (interleukins (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α), as well as acute phase biomarkers (fibrinogen and serum amyloid A). Except for some differences in clearance rates, no marked effects were observed in mice exposed to any spore at 10⁶ or 10⁷ colony forming units (cfu). In contrast, live Bc or Bt VCs (10⁵ or 10⁶?cfu) produced shock-like symptoms (lethargy, hunched appearance, ruffled fur, and respiratory distress), and 11–200-fold elevations in pyrogenic cytokines at 2-h post-exposure. In the study, 4-h effects included increased lethargy, ocular discharge, and 1.5–4-fold rise in circulatory acute phase markers, but no indications of recovery. Bs VC did not produce any changes in symptoms or biomarkers. After 2 or 4?h of exposure to dead VC, increases of only plasma IL-1β and TNF-α (4.6- and 12.4-fold, respectively) were observed. These findings demonstrate that purified spores produced no marked effects in mice compared to that of metabolically active bacteria. This early screening regime was successful in distinguishing the pathogenicity of the different Bacillus species, and might be useful for assessing the relative hazard potential of other biotechnology-related candidate strains.     

Predicting the acute lethality of a chlorinated benzene mixture in soils: a comparison of solid-phase microextraction,body residue,and solvent extraction techniques

When predicting the adverse effect(s) of chemical pollution on an exposed organism, a measurement of body residue is often considered a more accurate estimate of dose than those estimates derived from a solvent extraction or solid-phase microextraction of the polluted exposure medium. The magnitude of this perceived difference in accuracy, and thus the accuracy of the corresponding toxicity prediction, were investigated in the present two-phase study. In Phase I, an acute lethality response was correlated with dose estimates derived from body residue, solvent extraction, and SPME. In Phase II, acute lethality was predicted from Phase I data. The accuracy of Phase II toxicity predictions was determined by comparing predicted mortality to observed mortality. Although this study revealed that body residue indeed provided the most accurate prediction of toxicity, the margin of this comparatively greater accuracy suggests that alternative methods may provide equally viable dose estimates and, subsequently, equally viable toxicity predictions.     

Indoor and outdoor air pollution and lung cancer in New Hampshire and Vermont

Indoor and outdoor air pollution is known to contribute to increased lung cancer incidence. This study is the first to address the contribution of home heating fuel and geographical course particulate matter (PM₁₀) concentrations to lung cancer rates in New Hampshire, USA. First, Pearson correlation analysis and geographically weighted regression were used to investigate spatial relationships between outdoor PM₁₀ and lung cancer rates. While the aforementioned analyses did not indicate a significant contribution of PM₁₀ to lung cancer in the state, there was a trend towards a significant association in the northern and southwestern regions of the state. Second, case-control data were used to estimate the contributions of indoor pollution and secondhand smoke to the risk of lung cancer with adjustment for confounders. Increased risk was found among those who used wood or coal to heat their homes for more than 10 winters before the age of 18, with a significant increase in risk per winter. Resulting data suggest that further investigation of the relationship between heating-related air pollution levels and lung cancer risk is needed.     

云南宣威地区燃煤排放颗粒物中石英矿物的特征

云南宣威地区是我国人群肺癌死亡率最高的地区之一,过往研究表明,该区的高肺癌死亡率可能与居民室内燃煤排放颗粒物中的多环芳烃(PAHs)有关,而最近研究发现,其中的nm级石英可能是导致肺癌发生的原因, 但鲜见该区燃煤排放颗粒物中细粒石英矿物的研究. 为探究燃煤排放细粒矿物的分布特征,采集了肺癌高发区宣威市来宾镇及周边5个乡镇煤矿中的15个煤样,使用光学显微镜、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、带能谱的扫描电镜(SEM/EDS)分析了煤样的煤岩组分及矿物组成. 结果表明:宣威煤以中挥发分、较高镜质组烟煤为主,煤中主要矿物为石英、鲕绿泥石、高岭石和方解石;不同煤样中,矿物质的结晶程度有所差异;单颗粒统计结果显示,在所统计的775个矿物颗粒中,石英颗粒占37.9%,并且粒径多分布在1~2μm之间; 石英矿物颗粒的形状不规则且以微粒的形式填充在煤缝隙中. 石英与鲕绿泥石共存的现象显示,宣威煤中石英来源于富含Fe和Al的硅质热液流,而非岩石碎屑沉积;此外,在肺癌高发区(来宾镇),其煤中Si+Fe质矿物颗粒含量较Si质矿物高. 今后将重点研究石英颗粒在Fe参与下的生物活性.      

云南宣威地区燃煤排放PM10的微观形貌和粒度特征

宣威地区肺癌发病率居全国首位,并且肺癌与室内燃煤关系密切. 为了解宣威地区室内燃煤排放PM₁₀的微观形貌和粒度特征,使用小流量Minivol采样器,分别于2011年1月、3月和12月对宣威地区6个代表性乡镇的18个农户及对照点——贵州六盘水幸福村2个农户室内、外的PM₁₀进行采样. 采用扫描电子显微镜分析样品的微观形貌,并对颗粒物粒度进行统计分析. 根据微观形貌特征将PM₁₀分为烟尘集合体(链状、蓬松状、密实状)、球形颗粒(燃煤飞灰和焦油球)、矿物颗粒(规则和不规则状)、生物颗粒及超细未知颗粒. 结果表明:宣威地区室内PM₁₀微观形貌差别较大;室、内外PM₁₀的粒度分布在0.1~0.4μm内的颗粒数量所占比例较大,而1μm以上颗粒体积所占比例较大;小粒径颗粒对颗粒物数量贡献较大,而少数大粒径颗粒对体积贡献较大;宣威地区和对照点室内的PM₁₀数量-粒度和体积-粒度分布相似,室外PM₁₀数量-粒度特征相似但体积-粒度分布有所差异. 宣威地区室内的烟尘集合体和球形颗粒分别占颗粒物总数的10.5%和23.6%,高于对照点 (分别为7.7%和11.3%).      

Ultrastructural responses and oxidative stress induced by cypermethrin in the liver of Labeo rohita

The present study was conducted to establish the relationship between selected oxidative stress parameters and ultrastructural responses in liver tissue of Labeo rohita fingerlings exposed to cypermethrin. Fish were exposed to lethal (4.0 μg L^?1) and sublethal (0.4 μg L^?1) concentrations of cypermethrin for a period of 24, 48, 72 and 96 h for acute studies and 1, 5, 10 and 15 days for subacute studies, respectively. Results showed increased catalase (CAT) and protease activity, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyls and free amino acid (FAA) levels at both concentrations. This suggests participation of free-radical-induced oxidative cell injury in mediating the hepatotoxicity of cypermethrin. In corroboration of this, ultrastructural lesions witnessed a reduction in the number of cell organelles, swollen, vacuolated and condensed mitochondria, dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum, and reduced numbers of smooth enodplasmic reticulum, peroxisomes and lysosomes at the lethal (4.0 μg L^?1) concentration. At the sublethal (0.4 μg L^?1) concentration, cytoplasmic vacuolation, condensed, vacuolated and swollen mitochondria, dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum and an absence of hepatocyte microvilli were prominent. Ultrastructural changes were exhibited as subcellular responses due to the imbalance in cellular oxidative status by means of oxidative damage.     

日光温室黄瓜低温冷害风险评估技术研究

基于人工气候箱和大田试验观测结果,探讨了日光温室黄瓜生产低温冷害气象指标确定技术,将冬季黄瓜生产低温冷害分为无灾、轻灾、中灾和重灾4个等级,利用层次分析法和GIS技术,对日光温室黄瓜生产低温冷害综合风险进行评估.结果表明,山东省各级冷害出现日数随着低温冷害程度的加重呈减少的趋势,但区域间存在一定差异.鲁北、鲁西北北部、鲁中北部以及半岛内陆地区遭受低温冷害风险较高,半岛东部沿海、鲁西南、鲁南及鲁东南沿海区域风险较低,其他地区属于中度风险.     

Cu~（2＋）胁迫对单齿螺的毒性影响

以海生单齿螺（Monodonta labio）为受试生物,研究不同浓度Cu2＋胁迫下,Cu2＋对单齿螺的急性毒性、单齿螺对Cu2＋的富集性以及Cu2＋对单齿螺体内过氧化氢酶（CAT）和超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性的影响。结果表明,Cu2＋对单齿螺的96和72 h的半致死浓度〔ρ（LC50）〕分别为19.36和38.49 mg.L-1,安全浓度（ρs）为1.936 mg.L-1。单齿螺对Cu2＋的富集性随ρ（Cu2＋）的增加而增强,具有明显的剂量效应。当ρ（Cu2＋）为4.00 mg.L-1时,单齿螺对Cu2＋的累积量随处理时间的增加而增加,具有较明显的时间效应。各Cu2＋处理组单齿螺肝胰腺CAT活性均比对照（海水）组高,而且大多数处理组与对照组间差异均达显著水平（P〈0.05）或极显著水平（P〈0.01或P〈0.001）。但部分Cu2＋处理组单齿螺肝胰腺SOD活性低于对照组。