Mitochondrial electron transport chain is involved in microcystin-RR induced tobacco BY-2 cells apoptosis

Microcystin-RR （MC-RR） has been suggested to induce apoptosis in tobacco BY-2 cells through mitochondrial dysfunction including the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential . TO further elucidate the mechanisms involved in MC-RR induced apoptosis in tobacco BY-2 cells, we have investigated the role of mitochondrial electron transport chain （ETC） as a potential source for reactive oxygen species （ROS）. Tobacco BY-2 cells after exposure to MC-RR （60 mg/L） displayed apoptotic changes in association with an increased production of ROS and loss of Am. All of these adverse effects were significantly attenuated by ETC inhibitors including Rotenone （2 μmol/L, complex I inhibitor） and antimycin A （0.01 μmol/L, complex III inhibitor）, but not by thenoyltrifluoroacetone （S μmol/L, complex Ⅱinhibitor）. These results suggest that rnitochondrial ETC plays a key role in mediating MC-RR induced apoptosis in tobacco BY-2 cells through an increased mitochondrial production of ROS.     

石油污染物对海底微生物燃料电池性能的影响及加速降解效应

海底石油污染物在缺氧环境下导致其生物降解过程缓慢,对海洋环境造成长期危害.本文利用海底微生物燃料电池(BMFCs)原理,尝试通过电催化作用提高海底石油污染物的降解速率.对比测试了含油电池装置(BMFCs-A)与无油电池装置(BMFCs-B)的电化学性能,研究了石油污染物对电池性能的影响;比较了含油通路(BMFCs-A)和断路状态下(BMFCs-C)的石油降解率和细菌聚集量,分析了BMFCs对石油污染物降解的加速作用.结果表明,BMFCs-A和BMFCs-B阳极的交换电流密度分别为1.37×10-2A·m-2和1.50×10-3A·m-2,最大输出功率密度分别是105.79 m W·m-2和83.60 m W·m-2,BMFCs-A装置的抗极化能力增强,交换电流密度提高近9倍,最大输出功率密度提高1.27倍.BMFCs-A和BMFCs-C阳极表面的异养菌数量分别是(66±3.61)×107CFU·g-1和(7.3±2.08)×107CFU·g-1,细菌数量增加了8倍,高的异养菌数量导致石油降解加速进行,BMFCs的石油降解率是自然条件下的18.7倍.BMFCs在电化学性能提高的同时,加速石油污染物的降解.本文同时提出了一种海底微生物燃料电池对石油污染物加速降解的新模式.     

Clean fuels from municipal solid waste for fuel cell buses in metropolitan areas

Increasing volumes of municipal solid waste (MSW) pose disposal problems for many cities. Costs are rising as landfilling becomes more difficult. The production of clean transportation fuels (methanol or hydrogen) from MSW is one economically and environmentally promising option for dealing with these problems. An attractive feature is that elimination of essentially all air pollutant emissions is inherent in the process. Current and future air emissions standards should be easily met. Methanol or hydrogen used in fuel cell vehicles (FCV) can help address problems of deteriorating urban air quality due to vehicle pollution and heavy dependence of the transport sector on imported petroleum. Buses are initial targets for commercial application of fuel cells. Coupled with FCVs, MSW could become a major transportation energy resource. For example, less than 25% of New York City's MSW supply would be sufficient to produce the methanol or hydrogen needed to fuel the entire city's bus fleet, if the buses were fuel cell powered. Estimated breakeven tipping fees required for hydrogen or methanol from MSW to compete with the cost of these fuels made from natural gas today are $52 to $89/raw tonne MSW for hydrogen and $64 to $104/raw tonne MSW for methanol (in 1991$), depending on the gasification technology considered. For comparison, the average tipping fee today in New York City is $74/tonne (1991$). Because of the high fuel economies expected for fuel cell buses, total lifecycle costs per bus-km could be lower than for conventional diesel-engine buses.     

镉对大鼠肾皮质结合反应的影响

通过体内和体外试验分别研究了镉对肾皮质微粒体谷胱甘肽转移酶(GST)及游离肾近曲小管细胞中葡萄糖醛酸(GA)结合反应的影响.结果表明:(1)体外试验中,在10~(-7)—10~(-3)mol/L浓度范围内,镉可抑制肾皮质微粒休GST活力;(2)体内腹腔注射CdCl_2(2.4mg/kg,连续3天)后,大鼠肾皮质GST活力无明显改变;(3)按同样方式腹腔注射CdCl_2后,可降低游离肾近曲小管细胞中GA和7-羟基香豆素(7-HC)的结合反应;(4)体外试验中,低浓度镉(10~(-7)mol/L)可使肾皮质细胞中GA和7-HC的结合反应增强,而在10~(-6)—10~(-2)mol/L浓度范围内,镉可降低GA和7-HC的结合反应.     

Phytoremediation of Selected Explosives

The phytoremediation of trinitrotoluene (TNT), nitroglycerine (NG) and pentaerytritoltetranitrate (PETN) using in vitrocultures of Rheum palmatum, Saponaria officinalisand Populus simonii were studied. All above mentioned explosives were degradated to less toxic products and finally probably bound to the cell wall or further involved in the metabolism. The formation of trinitrobenzene (TNB) during degradation of TNT which is a product of alternative degradation pathway was found too.     

磁处理水对蚕豆根尖细胞的遗传学效应

利用蚕豆根尖细胞微核测试技术研究了磁化水（4200GS）对蚕豆根尖细胞的微核率、有丝分裂指数、染色体桥率、不正常细胞率等遗传学指标的影响,目的是探讨磁处理水对生物体的遗传学效应,结果发现上述指标均有所上升,其中微核率和不正常细胞率上升显著,并且其大小与水在磁场中处理的时间长短有关,提示磁处理水（4200GS）有一定的遗传学毒性     

Genotoxic biomonitoring of agricultural workers exposed to pesticides in the north of Sinaloa State, Mexico

Genotoxic damage was evaluated in 70 agricultural workers, 25 women and 45 men, exposed to pesticides in Las Grullas, Ahome, Sinaloa, Mexico, with an average of 7 years of exposure. The effect was detected through the sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in lymphocytes of peripheral blood and micronuclei (MN) and other nuclear anomalies (NA) in buccal exfoliated cells. Also, the influence on cellular proliferation kinetics (CPK) was studied by means of the replication index (RI) and the cytotoxic effect was examined with the mitotic index (MI). The non-exposed group consisted of 70 other persons, 21 women and 47 men from the city of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. Significant differences between the exposed and the non-exposed groups were observed in SCE, CPK, MI, MN and NA. Analysis of variance revealed that age, gender, smoking and alcohol consumption did not have a significant effect on genetic damage. However, there was a correlation between exposure time to pesticides and SCE frequency. These results could have been due to the exposure of workers to pesticides containing different chemical compounds. This study afforded valuable data to estimate the possible risk to health associated with pesticide exposure.