Development of microsatellite markers in the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense (Dinophyceae)

Outbreaks of paralytic shellfish poisoning caused by the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense (Dinophyceae) are currently a serious problem from an economic and food hygiene point of view throughout the world. We isolated 13 polymorphic microsatellite loci from this species. These loci provided microsatellite markers with high polymorphism ranging from four to 15 alleles per locus and gene diversity between 0.632 and 0.974. The markers are available for more detailed investigations of genetic structure and gene flow of A. tamarense populations.     

A volatile Pb(II) β-Diketonate diglyme complex as a promising precursor for MOCVD of lead oxide films

A polyether adduct of the lead(II) hexafluoroacetylacetonate has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy. The single crystal X-ray diffraction study provides evidence of a dimeric structure of the type [Pb(hfa)₂ · diglyme]₂ (Hhfa=1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedione, diglyme=CH₃O(CH₂CH₂O)₂CH₃). The thermal analyses have revealed high volatility and good thermal stability with a low residue despite the dimeric nature of the adduct. This novel compound has been successfully applied as a precursor for the depositions of PbO films. It represents the first example of lead precursors that can be used in the liquid phase without decomposition, thus providing constant evaporation rates even for very long deposition times.     

Changes in hemorheological parameters due to lead exposure in female rats

Lead is an ubiquitous metal in the environment that induces a broad range of physiological, biochemical and behavioral dysfunctions. The purpose of this study was to investigate its effects on blood parameters and blood viscosity. Female rats (14 Wistar-Albino type) were divided into a control and a lead exposed group. Both groups were fed with the same standard food, but lead acetate was added to the drinking water of the experimental group for 5 weeks. At the end of the experimental period, blood samples were drawn from the abdominal aorta of the anaesthetized animals. Hematocrit (Hct %), hemoglobin (Hb), and the number of erythrocytes were determined, blood viscosity was measured with a rotational viscometer, and the lead concentration in blood was analyzed by means of flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The erythrocyte count, Hb and Hct % of the lead exposed group were found to be significantly lower than in the control group (p<0.01). The blood viscosity level was significantly higher compared to the control group (p<0.01). It can be concluded that increased lead concentrations in blood impair certain hemorheological mechanisms and increase blood viscosity.     

Environmental temperatures and the incidence of food poisoning in England and Wales

The incidence of food poisoning in England and Wales has been increasing for many years and it is now a major public health problem. Superimposed on this general rising trend is a well-established tendency for the number of cases of food poisoning to rise during the summer when warm weather favours the multiplication of pathogenic micro-organisms. This paper shows that weekly notifications of food poisoning in England and Wales are strongly associated with environmental temperatures, but that there are some important time lags in this relationship. The number of cases of food poisoning in a given week was only weakly correlated with the temperature of that week and the one preceding it. This suggests that factors operating close to the point of consumption within or outside the home are not the principal cause of the rise in food poisoning associated with warm summer conditions. There was a much stronger association with temperatures 2–5 weeks earlier, pointing to the importance of factors operating earlier in the food production or distribution system. The results of this study suggest that the food poisoning problem requires action by food producers and distributors as well as by consumers. Received: 15 May 2000 / Revised: 17 October 2000 / Accepted: 18 October 2000     

Genetic Factors in Susceptibility: Serum PON1 Variation Between Individuals and Species

In mammals, serum paraoxonase (PON1) is tightly associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles. In human populations, PON1 exhibits a substrate dependent activity polymorphism determined by an Arg/Gln (R/Q) substitution at amino acid residue 192. The physiological role of this protein appears to be involvement in the metabolism of oxidized lipids. Several studies have suggested that the PON1_R192 allele may be a risk factor in coronary artery disease. PON1 also plays an important role in the metabolism of organophosphates including insecticides and nerve agents. The PON1_R192 isoform hydrolyzes paraoxon rapidly, but diazoxon, soman and sarin slowly compared with the PON1_Q192 isoform. Both PON1 isoforms hydrolyze phenylacetate at approximately the same rate, while PON1_R192 hydrolyzes chlorpyrifos oxon slightly faster than PON_Q192. Animal model studies involving injection of purified rabbit PON1 into mice clearly demonstrated the ability of PON1 to protect cholinesterases from inhibition by OP compounds. The consequence of having low PON1 levels has been addressed with toxicology studies in PON1 knockout mice. These mice showed dramatically increased sensitivity to chlorpyrifos oxon, diazoxon and some increased sensitivity to the respective parent compounds. These observations are consistent with earlier studies that showed a good correlation between high rates of OP hydrolysis by serum PON1 and resistance to specific OP compounds. They are also consistent with the observations that newborns have an increased sensitivity to OP toxicity, due in part to their not expressing adult PON1 levels for weeks to months after birth, depending on the species. Together, these studies point out the importance of considering the genetic variability of PON1₁₉₂ isoforms and levels as well as the developmental time course of PON1 appearance in serum in developing risk assessment models     

Equilibrium sorption isotherm for metal ions on tree fern

A new sorbent system for removing heavy metal ions, such as Zn(II), Cu(II) and Pb(II), from aqueous solutions has been investigated. This new sorbent is tree fern, an agriculture product. Variables of the system include solution temperature and sorbent particle size. The experimental results were fitted to the Langmuir, Freundlich and Redlich–Peterson isotherms to obtain the characteristic parameters of each model. Both the Langmuir and Redlich–Peterson isotherms were found to well represent the measured sorption data. According to the evaluation using the Langmuir equation, the maximum sorption capacities of metal ions onto tree fern were 7.58 mg/g for Zn(II), 10.6 mg/g for Cu(II) and 39.8 mg/g for Pb(II). It was noted that an increase in temperature resulted in a higher metal loading per unit weight of the sorbent. Decreasing the particle sizes of tree fern led in an increase in the metal uptake per unit weight of the sorbent.     

Phylogenetic relationship of Alexandrium tamiyavanichii (Dinophyceae) to other Alexandrium species based on ribosomal RNA gene sequences

The phylogenetic relationship of the thecate PSP-toxin producing dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamiyavanichii Balech to other species of Alexandrium was studied based on nucleotide sequences of the ITS1, ITS2, 5.8S, 18S and 28S subunits of the ribosomal RNA gene. These are the first such sequences available for A. tamiyavanichii, which is one of the producers of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins in tropical waters. Based on the nucleotide sequences of the 28S, 18S and 5.8S subunits of the rRNA gene, A. tamiyavanichii grouped together with A. tamarense, A. catenella and A. fundyense. More interestingly, A. tamiyavanichii was most closely affiliated to A. tamarense isolates from Thailand. This result reaffirmed conclusions from previous studies that, for the A. tamarense/fundyense/catenella species complex, geographical origin rather than morphology seems to determine genetic relatedness. Results of this study also suggest that A. tamiyavanichii most probably belongs to the same species complex. Ribosomal RNA gene sequences do not separate the PSP toxin producing from the non-producing species of Alexandrium.     

铅锌尾矿上自然定居植物

在凡口1#铅锌尾矿库内共有10种植物自然定居,这些植物主要生长在尾矿库的边缘区域.植物在尾矿上的生长、分布明显受到表层尾矿某些物理性质如稳定状况、含水量等的影响,尾矿中的营养物质含量与植物的生长高度以及群落盖度有一定的关系.杜虹花(Callicarpa pedunculata)体内的Pb、Zn、Cu和Cd含量大小顺序为叶>根>茎,而盐肤木(Rhuschinensis)和美丽胡枝子(Lespedeza     

金鱼对铅和镉的吸收蓄积

研究了铅、镉暴露实验中金鱼不同器官经有收积累铅、镉的过程及蓄积量。结合到金鱼鳃上的铅、镉可用Langmuir吸附等温式描述。最大结合容量Bmax为：铅0.9424mmol/kg干重;镉17662μmol/kg条件稳定常数logK为：铅7.80;镉6.38。Hill结合特征常数为：铅1.012;镉1.175,表明金鱼鳃上仅有一种类型的Pb^2 或Cd^2 结合位点。鳃中铅、镉含量与血液含量以及血液铅、镉含量与肾、肝中的含量呈正相关关系。肾脏对铅、镉的蓄积量高于其他器官。     

磷缓解水鳖镉毒害的生理研究

研究了Cd对水鳖生理生化过程的影响及Pi对Cd胁迫的缓解作用。结果显示,Cd能抑制水鳖的代谢和生长,使叶绿素含量与光合速率下降,呼吸速率与可溶性糖含量增加,POD活性增强;当加入0.6mmol/L Pi后,能相对减轻Cd造成的毒害,表现出Pi对Cd的拮抗和缓解作用。