Dietary exposure of Finnish children to heavy metal mixture – a cumulative assessment

A preliminary assessment of the cumulative exposure to heavy metals among Finnish preschool children is reported. Cadmium, lead, arsenic,and mercury affect many of the same organs in the human body. The effects are mostly caused by oxidative stress or disruption of enzyme function. The cumulative effects of the heavy metals on the central nervous system and on the kidneys are determined based on national concentration and consumption data, and comparison of the relative toxicity of the heavy metals is based on dose–response values found in the literature. The cumulative effects were assumed to be additive. The main contributors to kidney toxicity among the studied population groups were cadmium and lead, while lead was the main contributor to neurotoxic effects.     

Exhaled pentane as a possible marker for survival and lipid peroxidation during radiotherapy for lung cancer—a pilot study

To examine lipid peroxidation during radiotherapy (RT), exhaled pentane samples were collected from 11 lung cancer patients before RT and 30 and 120 min after the start of RT on days 1, 4 and 5 and at 30 and 40 Grays, if possible. Exhaled pentane samples were collected once from 30 healthy controls. Serum thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and conjugated dienes (CD) were obtained from patients on each exhaled air collection day. Lung cancer patients had higher exhaled pentane levels than controls (1.73 ng/L vs 0.83 ng/L, p=0.017). Exhaled pentane levels tended to decrease during the first RT day (p=0.075) and levels of CD decreased during the first week of RT (p=0.014). Higher pre-treatment pentane levels predicted better survival (p=0.003). Elevated exhaled pentane levels before RT may be due to the lipid peroxidation burden associated with cancer. The decrease of lipid peroxidation markers during RT may be attributable to enhanced antioxidant defense mechanisms.     

Quantitative detection of cell surface protein expression by time-resolved fluorimetry.

A method is introduced for quantitative detection of cell surface protein expression. The method is based on immunocytochemistry, the use of long decay time europium(III) chelate and platinum(II) porphyrin labels, and detection of photoluminescence emission from adhered cells by time-resolved fluorimetry. After immunocytochemistry, the assay wells are evaporated to dryness and measured in the dry state. This protocol allows repeated and postponed analysis and microscopy imaging. In order to investigate the performance of the method, we chose expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) of endothelial cell line EAhy926 as a research target. The expression of ICAM-1 on the cells was enhanced by introduction of a cytokine, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha). The method gave signal:background ratios (S:B) of 20 and 9 for europium and platinum labels, respectively, whereas prompt fluorescent FITC label gave a S:B of 3. Screening window coefficients (=Z'-factor) were >0.5 for all the three labels, thus indicating a score for an excellent screening assay. In conclusion, the method appears to be an appropriate choice for protein expression analysis, both in high-throughput screening applications, and for detailed sample investigation by fluorescent microscopy imaging.     

Almost 50 years of monitoring shows that climate,not forestry,controls long‐term organic carbon fluxes in a large boreal watershed

Here, we use a unique long‐term data set on total organic carbon (TOC) fluxes, its climatic drivers and effects of land management from a large boreal watershed in northern Finland. TOC and runoff have been monitored at several sites in the Simojoki watershed (3160 km²) since the early 1960s. Annual TOC fluxes have increased significantly together with increased inter‐annual variability. Acid deposition in the area has been low and has not significantly influenced losses of TOC. Forest management, including ditching and clear felling, had a minor influence on TOC fluxes – seasonal and long‐term patterns in TOC were controlled primarily by changes in soil frost, seasonal precipitation, drought, and runoff. Deeper soil frost led to lower spring TOC concentrations in the river. Summer TOC concentrations were positively correlated with precipitation and soil moisture not temperature. There is some indication that drought conditions led to elevated TOC concentrations and fluxes in subsequent years (1998–2000). A sensitivity analysis of the INCA‐C model results showed the importance of landscape position, land‐use type, and soil temperature as controls of modeled TOC concentrations. Model predictions were not sensitive to forest management. Our results are contradictory to some earlier plot‐scale and small catchment studies that have shown more profound forest management impacts on TOC fluxes. This shows the importance of scale when assessing the mechanisms controlling TOC fluxes and concentrations. The results highlight the value of long‐term multiple data sets to better understand ecosystem response to land management, climate change and extremes in northern ecosystems.     

Lakes as nitrous oxide sources in the boreal landscape

Estimates of regional and global freshwater N₂O emissions have remained inaccurate due to scarce data and complexity of the multiple processes driving N₂O fluxes the focus predominantly being on summer time measurements from emission hot spots, agricultural streams. Here, we present four‐season data of N₂O concentrations in the water columns of randomly selected boreal lakes covering a large variation in latitude, lake type, area, depth, water chemistry, and land use cover. Nitrate was the key driver for N₂O dynamics, explaining as much as 78% of the variation of the seasonal mean N₂O concentrations across all lakes. Nitrate concentrations varied among seasons being highest in winter and lowest in summer. Of the surface water samples, 71% were oversaturated with N₂O relative to the atmosphere. Largest oversaturation was measured in winter and lowest in summer stressing the importance to include full year N₂O measurements in annual emission estimates. Including winter data resulted in fourfold annual N₂O emission estimates compared to summer only measurements. Nutrient‐rich calcareous and large humic lakes had the highest annual N₂O emissions. Our emission estimates for Finnish and boreal lakes are 0.6 and 29 Gg N₂O‐N/year, respectively. The global warming potential of N₂O from lakes cannot be neglected in the boreal landscape, being 35% of that of diffusive CH₄ emission in Finnish lakes.     

Measuring Eco-efficiency of Production with Data Envelopment Analysis

Aggregation of environmental pressures into a single environmental damage index is a major challenge of eco-efficiency measurement. This article examines how the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method can be adapted for this purpose. DEA accounts for substitution possibilities between different natural resources and emissions and does not require subjective judgment about the weights. Although DEA does not require subjective or normative judgment, soft weight restrictions can be incorporated into the framework. The proposed approach is illustrated by an application to assessing ecoefficiency of road transportation in the three largest towns of eastern Finland.     

Two 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (17HSDs) of estradiol biosynthesis: 17HSD type 1 and type 7.

Two 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (17HSDs), type 1 and type 7, are enzymes of estradiol biosynthesis, in addition to which rodent type 1 enzymes are also able to catalyze androgens. Both of the 17HSDs are abundantly expressed in ovaries, the type 1 enzyme in granulosa cells and type 7 in luteinized cells. The expression of 17HSD7, which has also been described as a prolactin receptor-associated protein (PRAP), is particularly up-regulated in corpus luteum during the second half of rodent pregnancy. A moderate or slight signal for mouse 17HSD7/PRAP mRNA has also been demonstrated in samples of placenta and mammary gland, for example. Human, but not rodent, 17HSD1 is expressed in placenta, breast epithelium and endometrium in addition to ovaries. A cell-specific enhancer, silencer and promoter in the hHSD17B1 gene participate in the regulation of type 1 enzyme expression. The enhancer consists of several subunits, including a retinoic acid response element, the silencer has a binding motif for GATA factors, and the proximal promoter contains adjacent and competing AP-2 and Sp binding sites.