The role of biotic factors in the transmission of free-living endohelminth stages

The transmission success of free-living larval stages of endohelminths is generally modulated by a variety of abiotic and biotic environmental factors. Whereas the role of abiotic factors (including anthropogenic pollutants) has been in focus in numerous studies and summarized in reviews, the role of biotic factors has received much less attention. Here, we review the existing body of literature from the fields of parasitology and ecology and recognize 6 different types of biotic factors with the potential to alter larval transmission processes. We found that experimental studies generally indicate strong effects of biotic factors, and the latter emerge as potentially important, underestimated determinants in the transmission ecology of free-living endohelminth stages. This implies that biodiversity, in general, should have significant effects on parasite transmission and population dynamics. These effects are likely to interact with natural abiotic factors and anthropogenic pollutants. Investigating the interplay of abiotic and biotic factors will not only be crucial for a thorough understanding of parasite transmission processes, but will also be a prerequisite to anticipate the effects of climate and other global changes on helminth parasites and their host communities.     

Frequency of chromosomal aberrations in the rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Rich., exposed to five pollutants

This work presents the results of investigations of cytogenetic changes produced by pollutants of a water ecosystem (phenol, decamethrine, Malathion, Neguvon and crude oil). The changes have been measured by observing frequency of chromosomal aberrations in the tissues of gills and kidney of rainbow trout exposed to pollutants. The fish were exposed to two dose levels of the pollutants, the lowest being the legislative maximum permissible concentration in the waters of Yugoslavia, which were used as a dose-response for the highest investigated concentrations. Exposure to the water polluted by chemical pollutants under investigation, raised the frequency of aberrations compared to the controls.     

The effect of air pollutants on physiological processes in plants

Abstract. Important physiological processes, photosynthesis, respiration, carbon allocation and stomatal function are known to be affected by air pollutants. A wide range in sensitivity of photosynthesis both within and between species is evident from the literature for the pollutants sulphur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen oxide and hydrogen fluoride. Some of this variation is clearly due to genetic factors, but much is in response to differences in environmental conditions both prior to and during fumigation. Exposure of plants to mixtures of pollutants generally reduced the threshold at which effects were first detected and increased the level of inhibitory responses. In the majority of studies on stomatal responses to air pollutants, opening occurs at low concentrations, below the threshold for effects on photosynthesis, and closure occurs at injurious concentrations; this latter response often following the inhibition of photosynthesis. Effects on carbon allocation have been reported in response to air pollutants. Changes usually favour leaf development over root growth, which can compensate for a decline in net assimilation rate up to a certain point but may limit water uptake from soils with low moisture content. Future research into physiological effects of air pollutants should incorporate an integrated approach in which both key physiological parameters and growth parameters are measured together with estimates of the effective dose of pollutant. In this way, the underlying mechanisms to changes in growth and development will be more fully understood.     

DNA methylation in white blood cells

Alterations in DNA methylation patterns, both at specific loci and overall in the genome, have been associated with many different health outcomes. In cancer and other diseases, most of these changes have been observed at the tissue level. Data on whether DNA methylation changes in white blood cells (WBC) can serve as a useful biomarker for different health outcomes are much more limited, but rapidly emerging. Epidemiologic studies have reported associations between global WBC methylation and several different cancers including cancers of the colon, bladder, stomach, breast and head and neck, as well as schizophrenia and myelodysplastic syndrome. Evidence for WBC methylation at specific loci and disease risk is more limited, but increasing. Differences in WBC DNA methylation by selected risk factors including demographic (age, gender, race), environmental exposures (benzene, persistent organic pollutants, lead, arsenic, and air pollution), and other risk factors (cigarette smoke, alcohol drinking, body size, physical activity and diet) have been observed in epidemiologic studies though the patterns are far from consistent. Challenges in inferences from the existing data are primarily due to the cross-sectional and small size of most studies to date as well as the differences in results across assay type and source of DNA. Large, prospective studies will be needed to understand whether changes in risk factors are associated with changes in DNA methylation patterns, and if changes in DNA methylation patterns are associated with changes in disease endpoints.     

合成生物学在环境修复中的应用

环境问题是21世纪人类面临的最严重的挑战。随着现代工农业飞速发展,生态环境日益恶化,难降解污染物如新兴污染物逐渐显现,已成为制约社会经济可持续发展的重要因素。微生物具有强大的环境修复能力,但是其进化速度远不及新兴污染物出现的速度,亟需应用合成生物学的技术来解决这一难题。在充分认识难降解有机污染物微生物降解(途径)特性的基础上,利用我国丰富的微生物与基因资源,运用合成生物学的手段,定向设计和改造现有降解菌株,构建能够降解一种或多种污染物的工程菌株;同时针对复合型污染,如废水等,在建立典型有机污染物代谢、调控和抗逆相关基因元件的模块库基础上,引入人工菌群等策略,对生物系统进行理性设计和组装,构建典型环境污染物的高效降解菌群,可有效促进我国新兴污染物微生物分解代谢的研究,为环境修复的工程应用提供技术支持。     

环境污染物对水生生物产生氧化压力的分子生物标志物

为了能够建立一种简单、快速、准确的环境污染监测预警体系,人们进行了广泛的研究,其中有关环境污染物对分子生物标志物的影响已成为研究热点。生物体内的氧自由基和其它活性氧分子（ROS）对组织和细胞成分造成的伤害,称之为氧化压力,环境中的有毒物质能够对生物体产生不同程度的氧化压力。生物体内的强氧化剂或体外因素（如环境污染物）引起的强氧化物与抗氧化防御系统之间的平衡能够用于评估环境压力对生物体产生影响的程度,尤其适合于评估不同种化学物质引起氧化损伤的程度。这些抗氧化防御系统及其对氧化压力的敏感性在环境毒物学研究中占有非常重要的地位,大量研究结果表明：过渡金属、多环芳烃、有机氯和有机磷农药、多氯联苯、二氧芑和其它异型物质都能够对生物体产生氧化压力。这些有毒物质能够引起各种有害影响,如对膜脂、DNA和蛋白产生损伤;改变抗氧化酶的活性等。总结了这种氧化压力的研究进展情况,并讨论了这些分子生物标志物在水生生物中的应用。     

The role of caveolae in endothelial cell dysfunction with a focus on nutrition and environmental toxicants

Complications of vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, are the number one cause of death in Western societies. Dysfunction of endothelial cells is a critical underlying cause of the pathology of atherosclerosis. Lipid rafts, and especially caveolae, are enriched in endothelial cells, and down-regulation of the caveolin-1 gene may provide protection against the development of atherosclerosis. There is substantial evidence that exposure to environmental pollution is linked to cardiovascular mortality, and that persistent organic pollutants can markedly contribute to endothelial cell dysfunction and an increase in vascular inflammation. Nutrition can modulate the toxicity of environmental pollutants, and evidence suggests that these affect health and disease outcome associated with chemical insults. Because caveolae can provide a regulatory platform for pro-inflammatory signalling associated with vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, we suggest a link between atherogenic risk and functional changes of caveolae by environmental factors such as dietary lipids and organic pollutants. For example, we have evidence that endothelial caveolae play a role in uptake of persistent organic pollutants, an event associated with subsequent production of inflammatory mediators. Functional properties of caveolae can be modulated by nutrition, such as dietary lipids (e.g. fatty acids) and plant-derived polyphenols (e.g. flavonoids), which change activation of caveolae-associated signalling proteins. The following review will focus on caveolae providing a platform for pro-inflammatory signalling, and the role of caveolae in endothelial cell functional changes associated with environmental mediators such as nutrients and toxicants, which are known to modulate the pathology of vascular diseases.     

有机污染物在土壤中老化行为的研究进展

有机污染物在土壤中的老化行为是目前有机污染研究的一个热点问题.通过对其机理的研究,可以达到调控污染物的目的.本文介绍了有机污染物在土壤中的老化行为和国内外研究现状,指出老化的实质包括有机污染物在土壤中的慢吸附和锁定,总结了土壤性质、化合物性质和环境因素对老化的影响,同时介绍了老化的评价方法,并在此基础上提出了目前研究有机物在土壤老化过程中所存在的问题,并对老化行为的未来研究方向进行了展望.     

Effects of environmental pollutants on the reproduction and welfare of ruminants

Anthropogenic pollutants comprise a wide range of synthetic organic compounds and heavy metals, which are dispersed throughout the environment, usually at low concentrations. Exposure of ruminants, as for all other animals, is unavoidable and while the levels of exposure to most chemicals are usually too low to induce any physiological effects, combinations of pollutants can act additively or synergistically to perturb multiple physiological systems at all ages but particularly in the developing foetus. In sheep, organs affected by pollutant exposure include the ovary, testis, hypothalamus and pituitary gland and bone. Reported effects of exposure include changes in organ weight and gross structure, histology and gene and protein expression but these changes are not reflected in changes in reproductive performance under the conditions tested. These results illustrate the complexity of the effects of endocrine disrupting compounds on the reproductive axis, which make it difficult to extrapolate between, or even within, species. Effects of pollutant exposure on the thyroid gland, immune, cardiovascular and obesogenic systems have not been shown explicitly, in ruminants, but work on other species suggests that these systems can also be perturbed. It is concluded that exposure to a mixture of anthropogenic pollutants has significant effects on a wide variety of physiological systems, including the reproductive system. Although this physiological insult has not yet been shown to lead to a reduction in ruminant gross performance, there are already reports indicating that anthropogenic pollutant exposure can compromise several physiological systems and may pose a significant threat to both reproductive performance and welfare in the longer term. At present, many potential mechanisms of action for individual chemicals have been identified but knowledge of factors affecting the rate of tissue exposure and of the effects of combinations of chemicals on physiological systems is poor. Nevertheless, both are vital for the identification of risks to animal productivity and welfare.     

Epigenetics and the environment: emerging patterns and implications

Epigenetic phenomena in animals and plants are mediated by DNA methylation and stable chromatin modifications. There has been considerable interest in whether environmental factors modulate the establishment and maintenance of epigenetic modifications, and could thereby influence gene expression and phenotype. Chemical pollutants, dietary components, temperature changes and other external stresses can indeed have long-lasting effects on development, metabolism and health, sometimes even in subsequent generations. Although the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown, particularly in humans, mechanistic insights are emerging from experimental model systems. These have implications for structuring future research and understanding disease and development.     

Dynamic responses of biofilters to changes in the operating conditions in the process of removing toluene and xylene from air

The dynamic behaviour of biofilters intended to remove toluene and xylene from air was studied during transient states. Laboratory scale biofilters were filled with a mixture of peat, bark and wood and inoculated with a mixed microbial population. Toluene and xylene were applied both as single pollutants and as mixtures. Attention was focused on the evaluation of the following transients: the response of biofilters to step changes and peaks in pollutant concentrations, the effect of changes between single and multiple pollutant loadings and the response to shutdown periods. The biofilters demonstrated a good dynamic stability during transient states induced by change in inlet pollutant concentrations. Their time periods did not exceed three hours. No interaction between xylene and toluene degradation was observed during changes in loading with single pollutants or their mixture. The performance interruptions lasting less than 24 hours were found to have no significant influence on the removal efficiency of biofilters. When the biofilters were reacclimated after longer starvation periods, a short temporary decrease in efficiency whose minimum and duration were proportional to the length of a preceding shutdown period was observed. The longest starvation period (7 days) resulted in a reacclimation lasting 7 hours only. Adaptations of a microbial population to new operating conditions as well as sorption/desorption processes were suggested as the main factors influencing the dynamic reponse characteristics.     

滩涂底栖动物有机污染生态学研究进展

底栖动物由于对有机污染物具有较强的吸收能力,再加上其移动能力较差、生活方式比较固定,而被广泛运用于滩涂有机污染的研究.目前这些研究主要集中在如下几个方面：（1）有机污染物在底栖动物体内的分布特征及在底栖食物链中的动力学研究;（2）底栖动物对有机污染物的生理响应研究;（3）污染物对底栖动物群落组成和结构影响研究;（4）底栖动物在滩涂有机污染检测中的应用研究.研究结果表明：滩涂底栖动物对有机污染物的累积具有选择性和季节波动性;有机污染物可以在底栖食物链中传递;底栖动物体内的有机污染物成分和含量可以有效地指示其生存环境的有机污染状况;底栖动物的混合功能氧化酶和抗氧化酶系统对体内有机污染物的累积产生积极的响应;有机污染物对底栖动物的免疫系统造成不利影响,并对遗传物质造成破坏;有机污染对底栖动物的群落组成和结构具有显著的影响.     

有机污染物在表层土壤中光降解的研究进展

土壤是承载有机污染物的重要介质,而光降解是降解土壤表层有机污染物的一种非常重要的非生物转化途径。研究土壤表层有机物的光降解对认识污染物土壤环境行为有非常重要的意义。20世纪90年代以来对土壤中有机污染物的光降解研究有了大量报道。本文阐述了土壤组成和质地、土壤湿度、土壤pH值和土壤厚度等因素对光解影响的研究现状;介绍了目前研究土壤光降解所采用的研究方法：土壤表层直接光解、土壤悬浮液光解、溶剂萃取与光降解联合处理,及其研究土壤光降解应用的动力模型;对不同农药和其它有机污染物在土壤中的光降解研究进行了综述,并对今后的研究作了展望。     

Effects of diesel exhaust, heavy metals and pesticides on various organ systems: possible mechanisms and strategies for prevention and treatment

Environmental pollutants have a significant impact on the ecosystem and disrupt balance between environment, human and non-human components that result in deleterious effects to all forms of life. Identifying environmental factors for potential imbalance are extremely crucial for devising strategies for combating such toxic dysregulation. Automobile exhaust (in air), heavy metals (in food and water) and pesticides (in air, food, soil and water) are the most common environmental pollutants and their short and long-term exposures can cause hazardous effects in humans leading to systemic disorders involving lungs, kidney and immune systems. Mechanisms involved in genesis of such toxic effects have revealed complex, interactive pathways. Strategies for the protection of homeostasis and health, viz., general preventive measures, nutritional supplements and herbal agents have been described, to counter these pollutants induced damaging effects on various body systems.     

Comparison of DNA damage detected by plant comet assay in roadside and non-roadside environments

Although mixed air pollutants generated from traffic are suspected as one of the causes of DNA damage in living species, effects of the combination of these pollutants and other micro-environmental factors on urban biota have not been clarified yet. Thus, this study mainly aimed to detect the genetic damages in selected plant biomonitors, which were ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), pohtos (Epipremnum aureum), and periwinkle (Vinca rosea), setting in roadside and non-roadside environments. Two monitoring positions were selected in the Hongo campus of the University of Tokyo, Japan. This area was categorized as the urban residential zone. Both roadside and non-roadside samples were analyzed by using comet assay protocol. Different distribution changes in DNA migration ratios of all species could be observed and further interpreted as percentages of DNA damage. For all test species, in the final stage of experiment, roadside samples showed significantly higher degrees of DNA damage than non-roadside one. Time-dependent response pattern of each species to the overall environmental stresses was performed. Increase in the percentages of DNA damage could be expressed by regression equations. In addition, ratio of percentage of DNA damage between roadside and non-roadside species (R/N ratio) was introduced in order to clarify the additional genetic effect caused by roadside air pollutants. Series of response phase of plant under stresses, including cell destabilization, damage intensification, and re-stabilization, were explained. This study might be applied as a preliminary method in urban air quality assessment for detecting the existing effects of air pollutants and micro-environmental stress in an urban ecosystem.     

基于流域单元的海湾农业非点源污染负荷估算——以莱州湾为例

生产力较高、生物多样性丰富、人类利用较早的区域之一,也是全球生态系统中最有价值和最受人类关注的区域之一。同时,海湾也是全球变化反映最敏感、陆海相互作用过程最激烈的地带,是人类活动最频繁的地域。开展海湾入海污染物总量控制研究对保护海洋环境和维护生态健康,协调和促进沿海经济发展与海洋的合理开发利用,实现海洋经济的可持续发展具有重要意义。入海污染物总量是开展海湾环境保护的重要指标,因进入海湾的河流往往较多,河流入海污染物的估算受监测频率、流量的季节变化等因素影响,存在很多困难。农业非点源污染是我国海湾入海污染负荷的重要来源。基于DEM(SRTM Data,90 m分辨率),借助美国ESRI公司的ARC/INFO软件中的ArcHydro模块,进行莱州湾主要入海河流水文分析,利用GIS提取河网,划定流域边界,并划分汇水区和子流域,为流域农业非点源污染入海总量的估算提供基础数据平台。在此基础上,与该流域土地利用专题图叠加,计算各个子流域内不同土地利用类型的面积,利用主要污染物排放系数和入河系数,估算农业污染入海总量。结果表明:COD、NH3-N、TN和TP的每年入海排污总量分别约为236933、23956、53684 t和15922 t。COD、NH3-N、TN和TP的排放量占总排放量的比例分别为71.69%、7.25%、16.24%和4.82%,这说明莱州湾入海主要污染物为COD。在陆海统筹理念指导下,以入海河口为源头,采取溯源追踪的思路,确定影响海湾入海污染负荷的流域单元,提供一种海岸带地区农业非点源负荷估算方法,可为莱州湾入海污染物总量调控提供科学依据,也可作为海岸带综合管理过程中确定陆地范围的参考。     

Fate coefficients for the toxicity assessment of air pollutants

The inclusion of fate and exposure is a central issue in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA). According to the framework developed by the Society of Environmental Toxicity and Chemistry (SETAC), fate and exposure route are included through a fate coefficient which makes the link between an emission and the related increase in concentration. In the Critical surface-time 95 methodology, fate factors of air pollutants are determined empirically at a world level as the ratio of measured concentration to the total estimated emission flow. Based on a detailed study performed for seventeen pollutants, a correlation is developed to predict fate factors from the residence time. Variation of a factor 10000 arc observed for the fate coefficient. Empirical fate factors are compared to modelled fate factors and are found to have a similar order of magnitude.     

雾霾空气中细菌特征及对健康的潜在影响

论文从群落结构、浓度变化及粒径分布的角度论述了雾霾天气对空气细菌特征的影响,并结合了雾霾天气相关疾病的发病率,综合评价了雾霾天气空气病原菌导致的人群潜在健康风险的变化,最后提出了以前研究存在的不足及未来的发展趋势。综合研究结果,雾霾天气对空气细菌群落结构、浓度变化及粒径分布的影响,研究人员在不同城市得出的研究结果不同,可能由样点的时空环境、气象因素、雾霾程度及采集、检验、鉴定空气细菌方法等多种因素的差异引起。雾霾空气中已发现病原细菌均为条件致病菌,在空气中含量很低,但雾霾天气下部分病原菌的相对丰度增加,致病力会显著增强。此外,高浓度的细颗粒物和化学污染物可损伤皮肤黏膜屏障,打破呼吸道和皮肤的微生态平衡,为病原菌侵入创造较好的机会。两者的协同作用,显著增加了雾霾天气空气中病原菌的健康风险。     

浮游动物稳定碳、氮同位素特征及其在水生态系统研究中的应用

浮游动物在水域生态系统食物网中起着承上启下的作用,其稳定碳、氮同位素(δ¹³C、δ¹⁵N)被广泛用于研究对食物资源的利用,揭示物质循环路径及与其他生物之间的营养关系等.浮游动物的稳定同位素也常用于解释初级生产力,判断水体污染物和环境变化过程.明确浮游动物稳定同位素组成的时空变化及影响因子,对于以其稳定同位素组成作为研究水生态系统生态过程和环境变化的指示物尤为重要.本综述基于国内外学者对水生态系统中浮游动物δ¹³C、δ¹⁵N特征及其应用的研究成果,梳理了浮游动物δ¹³C 和δ¹⁵N在不同类型水体、不同类群及时空变化的差异:浮游动物δ¹³C和δ¹⁵N时空变化则主要受食物来源及其同位素组成的影响,后者又受到初级生产力和氮源及水体物理化学性质等因素的影响.未来,浮游动物稳定同位素技术通过与新兴污染物、新兴技术及统计分析方法结合,将在地学、生物学等领域形成多手段、多学科、多尺度的研究方向.