Blood transferrin receptor expression in chromosomally abnormal fetuses

In a cross-sectional study of 13 chromosomally abnormal fetuses, umbilical venous blood was obtained by cordocentesis at 17–32 weeks' gestation. Fetal blood transferrin receptor (CD71) expression (mean=79·8 per cent, range=60–98 per cent) and nucleated red cell count (mean=10·4 × 10⁹ per 1, range=1·0–25·0 × 10⁹ per 1) were significantly higher than the appropriate normal mean for gestation (z=3·92, P<0·0001 and z=3·69, P<0·001, respectively). These haematological changes in chromosomally abnormal fetuses would facilitate their prenatal diagnosis by analysis of fetal nucleated red blood cells isolated from the maternal circulation on the basis of CD71 expression.     

卤代有机污染物抑制甲状腺激素代谢酶活性的研究进展

甲状腺激素(thyroid hormones,THs)对生物体细胞的正常发育和分化至关重要,甲状腺激素失调可引起中枢神经系统、肺、心血管和其他器官的异常发育。研究表明,环境中的卤代有机污染物(halogenated organic contaminants,HOCs)及其代谢产物具有甲状腺激素干扰效应。抑制参与THs代谢的生物酶,例如磺基转移酶(sulfotransferases,SULTs)和脱碘酶(deiodinases,DIs),是HOCs及其代谢产物干扰THs正常功能的重要方式。本文重点综述了HOCs对不同甲状腺激素代谢酶的抑制效应的研究,讨论了环境计算化学和预测毒理学方法在该领域的重要应用,期望为HOCs干扰甲状腺激素酶代谢活性的深入研究提供借鉴与参考。     

构建有机化合物斑马鱼雌激素干扰效应的二元分类模型

计算毒理学方法已成为辅助内分泌干扰物(EDCs)管理的决策支持工具。因此,发展内分泌干扰效应指标的(定量)结构活性关系((Q) SAR)等预测模型对于实现EDCs环境管理具有重要的意义。在雌激素受体(Q) SAR模型研究方面,目前主要针对人、牛、大鼠和小鼠等物种的雌激素受体干扰效应进行了研究,而对鱼等水生生物雌激素受体干扰效应等指标的(Q)SAR模型研究还较少。本研究采用基于欧几里德距离的K最近邻(k NN)分类算法,构建了斑马鱼雌激素受体干扰效应的二元分类模型。结果表明,2个最优模型训练集和验证集的预测准确度(Q)、敏感性(Sn)和特异性(Sp)参数均大于0.93,说明模型具有较好的预测能力。因此,能够用所建模型填补模型应用域内其他化合物缺失的斑马鱼雌激素受体干扰效应定性数据。     

Impact of environmental pollutants on vertebrate thyroid systems

甲状腺激素在脊椎动物新陈代谢、生长发育与繁殖等生理过程中起着重要的调节作用.环境污染物种类和数量不断增加,其中有很多污染物具有环境内分泌干扰的作用.甲状腺对环境污染物具有极敏感的反应,污染物不仅会引起滤泡及滤泡细胞大小、滤泡细胞数量和滤泡腔中胶质含量的改变,影响到甲状腺激素合成、分泌、转运以及代谢中多种酶的表达和活性变化,还参与和甲状腺激素的竞争性结合,进而影响到机体中由甲状腺激素调节的各项生理功能,甚至会导致机体趋于死亡.由于两栖类幼体——蝌蚪的变态发育阶段直接受到甲状腺激素的调控,现已被确认为筛选和研究环境内分泌干扰物的首选生物检测指示动物.     

北京市大气细颗粒物PM2.5的来源研究

2000-2001年在北京联合大学化学学院、中国预防科学研究院和中国环境科学研究院3个采样点采集北京市PM2.5样品,并对其中无机元素、阴阳离子、有机碳(OC)、元素碳(EC)和有机物进行测定.以多环芳烃和部分无机组分为示踪物,利用CMB受体模型对PM2.5来源进行解析.结果表明,北京市PM2.5的主要来源为燃煤、扬尘、机动车排放、建筑尘、生物质燃烧、二次硫酸盐和硝酸盐及有机物.污染源贡献率随地域变化不大,燃煤、扬尘、生物质燃烧、二次硫酸盐和硝酸盐随季节变化比较明显.与1989-1990年解析结果相比,10年间PM2.5来源发生了一定变化.      

松花江吉林段土壤有机组分的雄激素干扰效应

利用重组AR(雄激素受体)基因酵母,结合土壤样品索氏提取、富集和净化方法,开展松花江流域吉林段土壤有机组分雄激素干扰效应及其分布特征研究. 结果表明:所有样品均未检测出显著的AR诱导活性;部分样品检测出AR抑制活性,检出率为62.50%,最大抑制率为61.74%;采用RIC20(抑制率为20.00%时,96孔板每孔所需要的土壤当量,单位为mg/well)表征样品的抑制活性,RIC20在1.01~9.03 mg/well之间, 表明松花江吉林段土壤中存在AR抑制活性物质,可能具有潜在的环境危害. 研究区土壤雄激素干扰效应的分布特征表明,干扰效应分布与产业布局呈一定的相关性;工业区的AR抑制活性明显高于农田区,表明化工原料及产品的生产和使用及工业废水的排放可能是该地区土壤中AR抑制活性的重要来源.      

环境内分泌干扰化合物干扰胰岛素分泌潜在作用机理

不断升高的糖尿病发病率在全球范围内引起广泛关注,流行病学调查显示糖尿病发病率的增加与环境内分泌干扰化合物使用量增大之间存在显著相关,环境内分泌干扰化合物可能增加糖尿病发病风险,是影响糖尿病的危险因素。在此背景下,综述了环境内分泌干扰化合物暴露与糖尿病发病之间的流行病学关系;环境内分泌干扰化合物暴露对胰岛β细胞胰岛素分泌的调节、高胰岛素效应及其潜在的作用机理,表明影响胰岛素分泌是环境内分泌干扰化合物调节代谢,诱发糖尿病的重要作用机制。     

黄颡鱼黑色素细胞原代培养及迁移相关基因克隆分析

黑素皮质素受体-1(MC1R)在鱼体中对黑色素细胞的分化及迁移起主要的调控作用,而且在神经系统和免疫系统中均表现出重要的生理功能。本研究对黄颡鱼表皮黑色素细胞的培养条件进行探索,并在此基础上对MC1R基因进行克隆,为后续研究黄颡鱼黑色素异常的细胞及分子机理研究提供基础。结果表明,黄颡鱼表皮黑色素细胞在27℃培养条件下,72 h开始贴壁生长,培养基中添加20%小牛血清培养效果比添加10%小牛血清好。此外,我们对黄颡鱼MC1R基因进行克隆。MC1R基因克隆方面,黄颡鱼MC1R基因全长为936 bp,编码312个氨基酸,与剑尾鱼(Xiphophorus maculates)、孔雀鱼(Poecilia reticulata)、条斑星鲽(Verasper moseri)、海鲈(Dicentrarchus labrax)、大菱鲆(Psetta maxima)等5种鱼类MC1R基因的同源性分别为97%、96%、90%、90%、90%,系统分析结果显示,黄颡鱼MC1R基因在进化树上的位置与黄颡鱼的分类所处位置基本吻合。黄颡鱼表皮黑色素细胞原代培养的条件为:27℃,添加20%小牛血清,所克隆基因为黄颡鱼MC1R基因。本研究为后续研究黄颡鱼黑色素异常的细胞及分子机理研究提供基础。     

In vitro agonistic and antagonistic endocrine disrupting effects of organic extracts from waste water of different treatment processes

Effluents from wastewater treatment plant （WWTP） have been reported to have a broad spectrum of endocrine disrupting compounds （EDCs）. The majority of studies have focused on the occurrence of estrogenic activity, while ignoring nuclear hormone receptors （NRs） pathways. In the present study, a battery of in vitro yeast bioassays and a cell bioassay, including antagonistic and agonistic effects on estrogen receptor （ER）, androgen receptor （AR）, progesterone receptor （PR）, estrogen- related receptor （ERR） and aryl hydrocarbon receptor （AHR）, were conducted to evaluate the removal efficien- cies of EDCs by different treatment processes of a WWTP located in Beijing. Estrogenic, anti-estrogenic, anti- androgenic, anti-progesteronic, anti-ERR and the activa- tion of AHR activities were detected in samples from all treatment processes and the receiving water. The concen- tration of estrogenic contaminants with estradiol （E2） equivalent concentrations ranged from 0.82 x 10-9 to 3.54 x 10 9g Ee_EQ.L-1. The concentration of anti-estrogenic contaminants with 4-hydroxytamoxifen （4-OHT） equiva- lent concentrations ranged from 1.24 × 10-6 to 2.36 x 10-6 g 4-OHT-EQ.L-1. The concentration of anti-androgenic contaminants ranged from 2.21 x 10-s to 3.52 × 10-6g flutamide-EQ. L-1. The concentration of anti-progesteronic contaminants ranged from 3.15 x 10^-5 to 2.71 x 10^-4g RU486-EQ. L-1. The concentration of anti-ERR contami- nants ranged from 7.09 x 10-5 to 6.50 x 104 g 4-OHT-EQ × L^-10. The concentration of AHR activators ranged from 1.7 × 10-10 to 3.4 × 10^-10g TCDD-EQ-L-1. These processes including secondary clarifier, coagulation, as well as coal and sand filtration could eliminated 67.2% of estrogenic contaminants, 47.0% of anti-estrogenic contaminants, 98.3% of anti-androgenic contaminants, 88.4% of anti- progesteronic contaminants, 65.4% of anti-ERR contami- nants and 46.9% of AHR activators. WWTP effluents contain multiple receptor disruptors may have very complex adverse effects on exposed organisms.     

Screening of thyroid gland histology in organohalogen-contaminated glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) from the Norwegian Arctic

The associations between blood organohalogen contaminant (OHC) concentrations and thyroid gland histology were studied in 10 adult female glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) from the Norwegian Arctic (Bjørnøya) during the incubation period. This histological investigation was undertaken as previous glaucous gull studies from the same area reported negative relationships between circulating OHC concentrations and thyroid hormone levels. Organohalogen concentrations have previously been associated with altered blood plasma thyroid hormone concentrations, as a result of parenchymal thyroid gland alterations and perturbation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT)-axis. In this study, PCB (range: 186–1027 ng g^?1ww), DDT (77–203 ng g^?1ww) and chlordane (18–65 ng g^?1ww) concentrations dominated the blood plasma OHC profile in incubating female glaucous gulls. High density of small follicles accompanied by follicular epithelial cell proliferations was seen in thyroid glands in seven of 10 gulls. Focal thyroiditis and nodular hyperplasia were found in two birds. No significant differences in plasma OHC concentrations were noted between gulls exhibiting high density of small follicles and cell proliferations and those birds not showing histological changes. Based on these findings, data suggest that the histological changes in thyroid glands of OHC-contaminated female glaucous gulls may be due to natural variance, although an OHC-induced thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) perturbation resulting in epithelial cell hyperplasia and increased follicular density cannot be ruled out and remains to be verified. Hence, a large-scale histological study is required, in order to elaborate the potential linkage between changes in thyroid gland histology, OHC exposure and regulation of the HPT-axis in the Arctic-breeding glaucous gull.