Comparative ecogenotoxicology： Monitoring the DNA of wildlife

Ecogenotoxicology is the study of interactions between genetic material and DNA-damaging agents of anthropogenic origin in wild populations, in relation to subsequent effects on the health of organisms （Shugart and Theodorakis, 1994）. Traditionally, biomarkers for genetic toxicology can be classified in ＂biomarkers of exposure＂ and ＂biomarkers of effect＂, depending whether the aim is to monitor and quantify the exposure to genotoxicants,     

Monitoring the circulation of rotavirus among children after the introduction of the Rotarix™ vaccine in Goiânia, Brazil

The epidemiological features of rotavirus A (RVA) infection differ between children from developing and developed countries which could result in differences in vaccine efficacy around the world. To evaluate the impact of Rotarix? on RVA prevalence, we monitored RVA genotypes circulating in Goiania by monitoring virus in faecal samples from children that had or had not been previously vaccinated. From February-November of 2008, 220 faecal samples were collected from children in seven day-care centres. RVA detection was performed by two methodologies and the results were confirmed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. From the 220 samples, eight were RVA-positive (3.6%) and five were from children that had received either one or two doses of the vaccine. All positive samples were collected from children with diarrhoea during August and September. Genotyping of the RVA characterised five of the viral samples as genotype G2P[4] and one as G8P[4], suggesting that G2P[4] was the predominant circulating genotype in Goiania during the study. The fact that vaccinated children were also infected by RVA suggests that the vaccine does not fully protect against infection by the G2[P4] RVA genotype.     

Monitoring,indicators and community based forest management in the tropics: pretexts or red herrings?

Over the last 20 years, transfer of the management of natural resources to local populations has been a major trend in the tropics. Many of these initiatives today incorporate the development of monitoring systems based on Criteria and Indicators (C&I), used to gauge environmental, socio-economic, and institutional consequences over a long period of time. The design of C&I at a local level involves combining scientific expertise with traditional ecological knowledge. There are numerous methods of merging these two branches of knowledge and developing a local monitoring system. The difficulty lies in setting up these local monitoring systems. A review of the literature available demonstrates that the handing over of monitoring systems to local communities has rarely been successful. In almost every case study, when the donor agency initiating the process withdrew, monitoring was either much less intensive or came to a complete stop. Despite this blatant deficiency local monitoring systems constitute an almost compulsory component of any donor-funded program/project dealing with sustainable management of natural resources. In our views, the real implementation of C&I by and for communities can only be achieved if there is a genuine devolution of management power, including responsibilities and benefits, to local stakeholders. Unless they link environmental changes to the communities’ own management decisions, formal participative monitoring systems will continue to fail.

Monitoring and evaluation of the activities of trainees in the ‘training of trainers’ workshop at Ibadan,south-west Nigeria

Background Like most low- and middle-income countries, Nigeria has a huge treatment gap for mental disorders. The World Health Organization has proposed the integration of mental health care into primary health service delivery as one of the ways to bridge this treatment gap. Studies have shown an immediate positive impact of mental health training for primary care workers. We evaluated the impact of training on the tutors of primary care workers approximately 12 months after the training.Method An intensive five-day training workshop for college teachers of mental health in community health officer (CHO) training institutions in south-west Nigeria was conducted in January 2009. Four of the 24 participants were randomly selected for evaluation of the impact of training on their activities approximately 12 months after the workshop. Qualitative methods were used, namely in-depth interviews, direct observation of classroom teaching by the participants and focus group discussion with their students.Results The participants interviewed reported a positive impact of the ‘training of trainers’ (TOT) workshop on their mental health course teaching. Direct observation of four participants revealed that three of them exhibited a high fidelity with the TOT course material and imbibed the teaching techniques advocated. The tutors'' students also reported an improvement in the quality of their mental health classes.Conclusion The training had an overall positive impact on the activities of the trainees approximately one year after the workshop.     

Monitoring of the dissemination of Salmonella in the chicken Frankfurt-sausage production line of a sausage factory in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Poultry meat and its derivatives are among the foodstuffs considered by environmental health authorities to present the highest risks to the public. A total of 185 samples were collected in five monthly batches, from different processing stages in a sausage plant that uses mechanically-deboned chicken meat (MDCM), and tested for the presence of Salmonella. Enrichment was carried out in both Kauffman's tetrathionate broth and Rappaport-Vassiliadis broth and isolation on Salmonella-Shigella agar and brilliant-green agar. Live Salmonella bacteria were isolated from six samples of the raw meat and from the emulsion, in batches three, four, and five, but not from any sample in batches one or two. The six isolated strains were all classified as Salmonella Albany, which has not previously been reported in MDCM. Of the two enrichment broths, Rappaport-Vassiliadis gave the better results. The pattern of contamination suggests a probable common source, given that a new supplier was used in the third, fourth, and fifth months. It was also shown that the industrial cooking was effective in preventing Salmonella surviving in the final product.     

Oviposition Behavior of the Rice Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), and Its Electronic Monitoring

Oviposition behavior of Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Homoptera: Delphacidae) on rice, Oryzae sativa L., was monitored using a videocamera and an AC (alternating-current) electronic measuring system. Oviposition by N. lugens always took place during stylet penetration into the plant. After penetration of the ovipositor, there were three specific ovipositional sequences observed; sawing insertion of the ovipositor, release of an egg in the plant, and partial or complete withdrawal of the ovipositor from the plant. Distinctive waveforms were recorded in correlating with these events. From a sequence of waveform patterns, it was possible to determine the number of eggs and egg masses laid inside the plant tissue and the duration of oviposition behavior. Waveform analysis revealed that N. lugens laid an egg mass consisting of on average 5.7 eggs. This occurred 4.3 min after a period of about 6.4 min of stylet penetration, and this sequence was repeated several times in 24 h. Electrical and/or tethering effects on oviposition appear to be negligible within 24 h of recording.     

Confirmation of Hypoglycemia in the “Dead-In-Bed” Syndrome,as Captured by a Retrospective Continuous Glucose Monitoring System

ObjectiveTo report a case that substantiates the presence of hypoglycemia at the time of death of a young man with type 1 diabetes, who was found unresponsive in his undisturbed bed in the morning.MethodsWe describe a 23-year-old man with a history of type 1 diabetes treated with an insulin pump, who had recurrent severe hypoglycemia. In an effort to understand these episodes better and attempt to eliminate them, a retrospective (non-real-time) continuous subcutaneous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) was attached to the patient. He was found dead in his undisturbed bed 20 hours later. The insulin pump and CGMS were both downloaded for postmortem study.ResultsPostmortem download of the data in the CGMS demonstrated glucose levels below 30 mg/dL around the time of his death, with only a minimal counterregulatory response. This finding corresponded to a postmortem vitreous humor glucose of 25 mg/dL. An autopsy showed no major anatomic abnormalities that could have contributed to his death.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first documentation of hypoglycemia at the time of death in a patient with the “dead-in-bed” syndrome. This report should raise the awareness of physicians to the potentially lethal effectsof hypoglycemia and provide justification for efforts directed at avoiding nocturnal hypoglycemia. (Endocr Pract. 2010;16:244-248)     

Dynamic Monitoring of Cellular Remodeling Induced by the Transforming Growth Factor-β1

The plasticity of differentiated adult cells could have a great therapeutic potential, but at the same time, it is characteristic of progression of serious pathological states such as cancer and fibrosis. In this study, we report on the application of a real-time noninvasive system for dynamic monitoring of cellular plasticity. Analysis of the cell impedance profile recorded as cell index using a real-time cell analyzer revealed its significant increase after the treatment of prostate epithelial cells with the transforming growth factor-β1. Changes in the cell index profile were paralleled with cytoskeleton rebuilding and induction of epithelial–mesenchymal transition and negatively correlated with cell proliferation. This novel application of such approach demonstrated a great potential of the impedance-based system for noninvasive and real-time monitoring of cellular fate.     

Parental Monitoring,Parent-Adolescent Communication,and Adolescents’ Trust in Their Parents in China

Purpose

Trust is an important aspect of interpersonal relationships, but little is known about adolescents’ interpersonal trust. The aim of the present study was to examine the associations among parental monitoring, parent-adolescent communication, and adolescents’ trust in their parents in China.

Methods

Data in this study were collected as part of the cross-sectional study of children in China. 3349 adolescents (female 48.6%, age range of 12–15 years) were randomly selected from 35 secondary schools in April, 2009 and administered to the Adolescent Interpersonal Trust Scale, the Parental Monitoring Scale, and the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale.

Results

Adolescents’ trust in their parents was positively related to parental monitoring and parent-adolescent communication. Furthermore, parent-adolescent communication mediated the association between parental monitoring and adolescents’ trust in their parents. The mediation model fit data of both genders and three age groups equally well.

Conclusions

Parental monitoring and parent-adolescent communication play an importance role in fostering adolescents’ trust in their parents.     

How Long Do the Dead Survive on the Road? Carcass Persistence Probability and Implications for Road-Kill Monitoring Surveys

Background

Road mortality is probably the best-known and visible impact of roads upon wildlife. Although several factors influence road-kill counts, carcass persistence time is considered the most important determinant underlying underestimates of road mortality. The present study aims to describe and model carcass persistence variability on the road for different taxonomic groups under different environmental conditions throughout the year; and also to assess the effect of sampling frequency on the relative variation in road-kill estimates registered within a survey.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Daily surveys of road-killed vertebrates were conducted over one year along four road sections with different traffic volumes. Survival analysis was then used to i) describe carcass persistence timings for overall and for specific animal groups; ii) assess optimal sampling designs according to research objectives; and iii) model the influence of road, animal and weather factors on carcass persistence probabilities. Most animal carcasses persisted on the road for the first day only, with some groups disappearing at very high rates. The advisable periodicity of road monitoring that minimizes bias in road mortality estimates is daily monitoring for bats (in the morning) and lizards (in the afternoon), daily monitoring for toads, small birds, small mammals, snakes, salamanders, and lagomorphs; 1 day-interval (alternate days) for large birds, birds of prey, hedgehogs, and freshwater turtles; and 2 day-interval for carnivores. Multiple factors influenced the persistence probabilities of vertebrate carcasses on the road. Overall, the persistence was much lower for small animals, on roads with lower traffic volumes, for carcasses located on road lanes, and during humid conditions and high temperatures during the wet season and dry seasons, respectively.

Conclusion/Significance

The guidance given here on monitoring frequencies is particularly relevant to provide conservation and transportation agencies with accurate numbers of road-kills, realistic mitigation measures, and detailed designs for road monitoring programs.     

Multi-Year Monitoring of the Tick–Pathogen System in Natural Foci of Tick-Borne Encephalitis in the Suburbs of Irkutsk

Entomological Review - The state of the natural foci of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) was monitored during 15 seasons (2005–2019) in several key plots within a popular recreational and...     

Evaluation of Hexose Monophosphate Shunt Activity in Isolated Murine Lens by Monitoring the Potential of the Ferricyanide–Ferrocyanide System

A method for evaluation of the activity of the hexose monophosphate shunt (HMS) in isolated lens is presented. The measurement of HMS activity is based on continuous monitoring of the potential of the ferricyanide–ferrocyanide system (where ferricyanide is an artificial electron acceptor) in the presence of a lens. The rate of reduction of ferricyanide increased after the addition of methylene blue (MB) or saponin. The ferricyanide reduction rate did not correlate with GSH content in the contralateral lenses of the same mouse in the absence of MB or saponin. Correlations between the ferricyanide reduction rate and GSH content in the lens were 0.67 ( = 0.93) in the presence of MB and 0.82 ( = 0.95) in the presence of saponin. We think that the measured curves of ferricyanide reduction are representative of: 1) normal level of HMS activity (in the absence of methylene blue and saponin); 2) maximal HMS activity (in the presence of methylene blue); 3) the intracellular concentration of reducing equivalents (in the presence of saponin).     

One or two cameras per station? Monitoring jaguars and other mammals in the Amazon

Camera trapping has become a popular technique to monitor carnivore populations due to its usefulness in estimating abundance. Nevertheless, there are a number of problems associated with study design which are motivating researchers to search for a compromise that ensures improvement of precision while being cost-effective. We have used data from a capture?Crecapture study in a forested area in central Brazil to evaluate the effectiveness of using one versus two cameras per trapping station for determining jaguar (Panthera onca) density and capture rates of several other mammals. The capture rate for the jaguar and other species recorded with only one camera was lower than that with two cameras. The number of jaguars identified using photos from one camera ranged between six and seven animals, but reached ten individuals when two-camera sets were used where pictures of both flanks could be positively individualized. These differences, combined with different estimates of effective sampled area size, resulted in jaguar densities estimates ranging from 2.18 to 5.40 and 3.99?individuals/100?km² when one and two cameras were used per station, respectively (using the half-MMDM and Heterogeneity model). Based on our results, we recommend the use of two cameras per station for jaguar density monitoring to ensure reasonable levels of reliability and accuracy of estimates despite a small sample size.     

How Much is Enough? Estimating the Minimum Sampling Required for Effective Monitoring of African Reserves

Effective biological monitoring in developing countries requires a balance of rigour and practicality. Unfortunately, there exist few general guidelines to help practitioners design monitoring programs that reach this balance. Here, we analyse a 33-year monitoring program from Ghana, West Africa, to provide both specific and general suggestions for monitoring in developing countries. Since the late 1960s the Ghana Wildlife Division has monitored more than 40 wildlife species with monthly surveys at sites throughout Ghana's nature reserves. These data present unparalleled opportunities to illuminate the scale and pattern of changes in animal abundance over time and the forces that drive these changes. We used sub-sampling of the Ghana monitoring data for four species in two savanna reserves to identify the minimum level of monitoring necessary to reliably detect changes in wildlife populations over 5-year intervals. We used a similar approach to estimate the minimum sampling needed to infer changes in abundance of hunters in reserves. Our results highlight the relative importance of comprehensive spatial and temporal sampling and suggest a requirement of no less than one monitoring site per every 285 km² in large reserves and 65 km² in smaller reserves. We discuss briefly the cost of effective monitoring and the relevance of our results to other regions of Africa and the world.     

16S rRNA Gene-Based Oligonucleotide Microarray for Environmental Monitoring of the Betaproteobacterial Order “Rhodocyclales”

For simultaneous identification of members of the betaproteobacterial order “Rhodocyclales” in environmental samples, a 16S rRNA gene-targeted oligonucleotide microarray (RHC-PhyloChip) consisting of 79 probes was developed. Probe design was based on phylogenetic analysis of available 16S rRNA sequences from all cultured and as yet uncultured members of the “Rhodocyclales.” The multiple nested probe set was evaluated for microarray hybridization with 16S rRNA gene PCR amplicons from 29 reference organisms. Subsequently, the RHC-PhyloChip was successfully used for cultivation-independent “Rhodocyclales” diversity analysis in activated sludge from an industrial wastewater treatment plant. The implementation of a newly designed “Rhodocyclales”-selective PCR amplification system prior to microarray hybridization greatly enhanced the sensitivity of the RHC-PhyloChip and thus enabled the detection of “Rhodocyclales” populations with relative abundances of less than 1% of all bacteria (as determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization) in the activated sludge. The presence of as yet uncultured Zoogloea-, Ferribacterium/Dechloromonas-, and Sterolibacterium-related bacteria in the industrial activated sludge, as indicated by the RHC-PhyloChip analysis, was confirmed by retrieval of their 16S rRNA gene sequences and subsequent phylogenetic analysis, demonstrating the suitability of the RHC-PhyloChip as a novel monitoring tool for environmental microbiology.     

Monitoring the human β1, β2, β3 adrenergic receptors expression and purification in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis> using the fluorescence properties of the enhanced green fluorescent protein

The three beta adrenergic receptor subtypes, β1-, β2- and β3-, were expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. These receptors were N-terminally fused to the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and the fluorescent properties of EGFP were used: (1) to select the recombinant strains, (2) to monitor the expression of the fluorescent receptors, and (3) to monitor the purification of the receptors by immobilized metal affinity chromatography. We demonstrate here that Pichia pastoris can be an alternative host to express and purify milligram amounts of human beta adrenergic receptors.     

Geographic Divisions and Modeling of Virological Data on Seasonal Influenza in the Chinese Mainland during the 2006–2009 Monitoring Years

Background

Seasonal influenza epidemics occur annually with bimodality in southern China and unimodality in northern China. Regional differences exist in surveillance data collected by the National Influenza Surveillance Network of the Chinese mainland. Qualitative and quantitative analyses on the spatiotemporal rules of the influenza virus''s activities are needed to lay the foundation for the surveillance, prevention and control of seasonal influenza.

Methods

The peak performance analysis and Fourier harmonic extraction methods were used to explore the spatiotemporal characteristics of the seasonal influenza virus activity and to obtain geographic divisions. In the first method, the concept of quality control was introduced and robust estimators were chosen to make the results more convincing. The dominant Fourier harmonics of the provincial time series were extracted in the second method, and the VARiable CLUSter (VARCLUS) procedure was used to variably cluster the extracted results. On the basis of the above geographic division results, three typical districts were selected and corresponding sinusoidal models were applied to fit the time series of the virological data.

Results

The predominant virus during every peak is visible from the bar charts of the virological data. The results of the two methods that were used to obtain the geographic divisions have some consistencies with each other and with the virus activity mechanism. Quantitative models were established for three typical districts: the south1 district, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi and Fujian; the south2 district, including Hunan, Hubei, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang; and the north district, including the 14 northern provinces except Qinghai. The sinusoidal fitting models showed that the south1 district had strong annual periodicity with strong winter peaks and weak summer peaks. The south2 district had strong semi-annual periodicity with similarly strong summer and winter peaks, and the north district had strong annual periodicity with only winter peaks.