Genotoxicity evaluation of water soil leachates by Ames test, comet assay, and preliminary Tradescantia micronucleus assay

Combining genotoxicity/mutagenicity tests and physico-chemical methodologies can be useful for determining the potential genotoxic contaminants in soil samples. The aim of our study was to evaluate the genotoxicity of soil by applying an integrated physico-chemical-biological approach. Soil samples were collected at six sampling points in a Slovenian industrial and agricultural region where contamination by heavy metals and sulphur dioxide (SO₂) are primarily caused by a nearby power plant. The in vitro alkaline version of the comet assay on water soil leachates was performed with Caco-2 and HepG2 cells. A parallel genotoxicity evaluation of the samples was performed by Ames test using Salmonella typhimurium and the Tradescantia micronucleus test. Pedological analyses, heavy metal content determination, and different physico-chemical analyses, were also performed utilizing standard methodology. Water leachates of soil samples were prepared according to standard methods. Since only a battery of biotests with prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms or cells can accurately estimate the effects of (geno)toxicants in soil samples and water soil leachates, a combination of three bioassays, with cells or organisms belonging to different trophic levels, was used. Genotoxicity of all six water soil leachates was proven by the comet assay on both human cell lines, however no positive results were detected by bacterial assay, Ames test. The Tradescantia micronucleus assay showed increase in micronuclei formation for three samples. According to these results we can assume that the comet assay was the most sensitive assay, followed by the micronucleus test. The Ames test does not appear to be sensitive enough for water soil leachates genotoxicity evaluations where heavy metal contamination is anticipated.     

我国环境污染治理投资的发展及存在问题

环境污染治理投资对于改善我国环境状况,遏制环境污染发展趋势具有重要作用.在界定了环境污染治理投资统计范围之后对我国环境污染治理投资的发展历程、投资结构进行了具体分析,其中重点分析了我国工业污染源治理投资的发展过程和投资结构,总结了我国环境污染治理投资存在的问题,以供决策部门参考.     

筑坝蓄水过程对高原湿地拉市海湖滨植被的影响

选择滇西北高原湿地拉市海湿地湖滨作为研究区域,采用传统的野外植被调查和定位观测相结合的方法对该区域植被特征、分布格局及受筑坝蓄水过程的影响进行分析和研究。结果表明：研究区共有维管束植物97种,隶属于34科76属,可划分为2个植被类型,3个植被亚型,10个群落类型;拉市海筑坝蓄水过程对研究区植物群落分布格局和组成结构产生明显的影响,草甸植被、沼泽植被和湖泊水生植被占研究区面积比重分别从2009年的4454%、1869%和3676%变为2011年的3259%、1368%和5359%,草甸植被和沼泽植被的面积不断缩小,湖泊水生植被面积持续扩大,狗牙根〖WTBX〗（Cynodon dactylon）逐渐取代蒿属（Artemisia）〖WTBZ〗植物在草甸植被中的优势地位,而李氏禾群落（Com.Leersia hexandra）成为了研究区湖滨带水生植物的主要成分;研究区植被在筑坝蓄水过程的胁迫下呈草甸植被（杂草群落、狗牙根群落Com.Cynodon dactylon）,沼泽植被（葱状灯心草群落Com.Juncus allioides、菖蒲群落Com.Acorus calamus、刚毛荸荠群落Com.Eleocharis vallcculosa、水蓼群落Com.Polygonum hydropiper）,湖泊水生植被（李氏禾群落Com.Leersia hexandra、两栖蓼群落Com.Polygonum amphibium、满江红群落Com.Azolla imbricata、鸭子草 穗状狐尾藻群落Com.Potamogeton distinctus Myriophyllum spicatum）的演替格局;拉市海植物群落受筑坝蓄水过程影响发生的逆向演替,从理论上延长了湿地的服务年限,但蓄水过程对鱼类的生存和繁殖、越冬水禽的生境及整个湿地生态系统结构和功能的影响是长期的,还有待深入的研究     

武汉20世纪90年代暴雨异常的物理环境变化背景探讨

根据武汉1951－2000年50年暴雨日数资料，应用Mann-Kendall统计方法对暴雨邓列进行年限突变检验。揭示出武汉暴雨在1979年发生突变，20世纪80年代后暴雨出现频数明显上升，强度增大，90年代达到最大，同时指出武汉20世纪90年代暴雨日数和暴雨量异常的显著特征，着重从西太平洋副热带高压，阻塞高压，太平洋海温等重要物理环境因子的突变出发，探讨造成20世纪90年代武汉暴雨异常的物理变化背景，结果表明，在武汉暴雨异常多的90年代与暴雨异常少的70年代，所对应的大气，海洋环境背景显著不同，90年代北半球500hPa月平均高度场是处于几十年中正异常最大的阶段，西太平洋副热带高压持续偏南，偏强，西伸脊点偏西，东亚中高纬度环流异常，维持稳定的阻塞高压形势，赤道东太平洋海温（SST）出现最大正距平，为近50年来的异常增温时期，厄尔尼诺（ENSO）事件发生频繁。     

Determination of alcohol compounds using corona discharge ion mobility spectrometry

Ion mobility spectrometry （IMS） is a very fast, highly sensitive, and inexpensive technique, it permits efficient monitoring of volatile organic compounds like alcohols. In this article, positive ion mobility spectra for six alcohol organic compounds have been systematically studied for the first time using a high-resolution IMS apparatus equipped with a discharge ionization source. Utilizing protonated water cluster ions （H2O）nH^＋ as the reactant ions and clean air as the drift gas, alcohol organic compounds, ethanol, 1- propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol and 2-octanol, all exhibit product ion characteristic peaks in their respective ion mobility spectrometry, that is a result of proton transfer reactions between the alcohols and reaction ions （H2O）nH^＋. The mixture of these alcohols, including two isomers, has been detected, and the results showed that they could be distinguished effectively in the ion mobility spectrum. The reduced mobility values have been determined, which are in very well agreement with the traditional ^63Ni-IMS experimental values. The exponential dilution method was used to calibrate the alcohol concentrations, and a detection limit available for the alcohols is in order of magnitude of a few ng/L.     

现代整体橱柜内微环境空气质量对健康的影响

本文用案例阐述了现代整体橱柜内微环境中的甲醛污染,导致了对人体健康的危害。并用体积相同而材料不同的橱柜进行柜内空气中甲醛的检测比对和柜内微环境中甲醛污染的调味品检测比对。     

西北5省(区)区域旅游经济差异变化——基于泰尔指数的测度

旅游经济的空间差异是区域经济发展不平衡的一种现象。利用旅游总收入和及其所占GDP的百分比2个测度指标,采用泰尔指数对1996--2005年西北5省（区）旅游经济差异变化进行了分析。结果发现,1996-2005年GDP权重的泰尔指数整体上处于下降趋势,而旅游总收入权重的泰尔指数处于微弱的上升趋势,不论何种指标权重由组内差距造成的差异在西北5省（区）旅游经济差异中处于主导地位。     

A_2型高粱细胞质雄性不育系与其保持系的胞质DNA和核DNA差异

以高粱细胞质雄性不育系A2 V4 (A)及其保持系V4 (B)的总DNA为模板 ,对 184个随机引物进行筛选 ,找到6个其RAPD扩增产物在A/B间存在稳定差异的引物 .将该 6个引物同时扩增A/B的总DNA、线粒体DNA(mtDNA)及叶绿体DNA(cpDNA) .以总DNA为模板时得到 12个扩增片段 ,以mtDNA为模板时得到 4个 ,以cpDNA为模板时得到 11个 .结果分析表明 ,在这些扩增片段中 ,有 7个仅仅出现在以胞质DNA为模板的扩增中 ,有 5个在以总DNA和胞质DNA为模板时同时出现 ,即认为这 12个片段来自胞质DNA .另有 7个片段 ,在以胞质DNA为模板时未出现 ,而是仅仅出现在以总DNA为模板的扩增中 ,认为是来自核DNA .来自核DNA的 7个扩增片段中 ,有 5个来自保持系 ,有 2个来自不育系 ,这表明 ,不育系与保持系在核DNA上存在差异 .对A/B核DNA在CMS中的重要性及研究对策进行了讨论 .图 2表 4参 19     

西部开发中的泥石流问题

西部地区的青、甘、陕、川、滇、黔、新、藏、宇、桂、内蒙和重庆等12个省区市内都有泥石流分布,已查明的泥石流沟计15500余条,受泥石流危害或威胁的县级以上政府驻地城镇逾百座,一场泥石流致死百人以上的灾害点达23个,泥石流及其灾害是西部大开发中必须面临的生态环境问题之一,城市建设、公路和铁路等交通建设、水利建设,西气和西电东送工程建设等西部大开发的重点领域,,在开发建设中都将要遇到泥石流问题,吸取以往这类建设中抗御泥石流灾害的经验与教训,对于减轻泥石流灾害和保障西部大开发顺利进行具有现实意义。     

Metals in biomass

Background, Aim and Scope

Metal ions generally share the ability/tendency of interacting with biological material by forming complexes, except possibly for the heavy alkali metals K, Rb and Cs. This is unrelated to the metals being either essential for sustaining life and its reproduction, apparently insignificant for biology, although perhaps undergoing bioconcentration or even being outright toxic, even at low admission levels. Yet, those different kinds of metal-biomass interactions should in some way depend on properties describing coordination chemistries of these very metals. Nevertheless, both ubiquitously essential metals and others sometimes used in biology should share these properties in numeric terms, since it can be anticipated that they will be distinguished from nonessential and/or toxic ones. These features noted above include bioconcentration, the involvement of metal ions such as Zn, Mg, Cu, Fe, etc. in biocatalysis as crucial components of metalloenzymes and the introduction of a certain set of essential metals common to (almost) all living beings (K, Mg, Mo, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn), which occurred probably very early in biological evolution by ‘natural selection of the chemical elements’ (more exactly speaking, of the metallomes).

Materials and Methods

The approach is semiempirical and consists of three consecutive steps: 1) derivation of a regression equation which links complex stability data of different complexes containing the same metal ion to electrochemical data pertinent to the (replaced) ligands, thus describing properties of metal ions in complexes, 2) a graphical representation of the properties-two typical numbers c and x for each metal ion-in some map across the c/x-space, which additionally contains information about biological functions of these metal ions, i.e. whether they are essential in general (e.g. Mg, Mn, Zn) or, for a few organisms of various kinds (e.g. Cd, V), not essential (e.g. rare earth element ions) or even generally highly toxic (Hg, U). It is hypothesized that, if coordination properties of metals control their biological ‘feasibility’ in some way, this should show up in the mappings (one each for mono and bidentate-bonding ligands). 3) eventually, the regression equation produced in step 1) is inverted to calculate complex stabilities pertinent to biological systems: 3a) complex stabilities are mapped for ligands delivered to soil (-water) by green plants (e.g. citrate, malate) and fungi and, compared to their unlike selectivities and demands of metal use (photosynthesis taking place or not), 3b) the evolution of the metallome during late chemical evolution is reconstructed.

Results

These maps show some ‘window of essentiality’, a small, contrived range/area of c and x parameters in which essential metal ions gather almost exclusively. c and x thus control the possibility of a metal ion becoming essential by their influencing details of metal-substrate or (in cases of catalytic activities) metal-product interactions. Exceptions are not known to be involved in biocatalysis anyhow.

Discussion

Effects of ligands secreted, e.g. from tree roots or agaric mycelia to the soil on the respective modes (selectivities) of metal bioconcentration can be calculated by the equation giving complex stability constants, with obvious ramifications for a thorough, systematic interpretation of biomonitoring data. Eventually, alterations of C, N and P-compounds during chemical evolution are investigated — which converted CH₄ or CO₂, N₂ and other non-ligands to amino acids, etc., for example, with the latter behaving as efficient chelating ligands: Did they cause metal ions to accumulate in what was going to become biological matter and was there a selectivity, a positive bias in favour of nowessential metals (see above) in this process? Though there was no complete selectivity of this kind, neither a RNA world in which early ribozymes effected most of biocatalysis, nor a paleoatmosphere containing substantial amounts of CO could have paved the way to the present biochemistry and metallomes.

Conclusions

This way of reasoning provides a causal account for abundance distributions described earlier in the Biological System of Elements (BSE; Markert 1994, Fränzle &; Markert 2000, 2002). There is a pronounced change from chemical evolution, where but few transformations depended on metal ion catalysis to biology.

Recommendations and Perspectives

The application of this numerical approach can be used for modified, weighted evaluation of biomonitoring analytical data, likewise for the prediction of bioconcentration hazards due to a manifold of metal ions, including organometallic ones. This is relevant in ecotoxicology and biomonitoring. In combining apoproteins or peptides synthesized from scratch for purposes of catalysing certain transformations, the map and numerical approaches might prove useful for the selection of central ions which are even more efficient than the ‘natural’ ones, like for Co²⁺ in many Zn enzymes.