Prolonged exposure to odors in the rat: effects on odor detection and on mitral cells

Rats were raised from four to seventy days of age in ethylacetoacetate(EA), 4-methylvaleric acid (MV), or clean air (CA) vapor. Halfof the animals in each group were sacrificed immediately uponremoval from the exposure cages and the remaining animals werehoused in a vivarium, placed on a water deprivation scheduleand trained to detect EA and MV odors prior to sacrifice. Theonly behavioral deficit observed was in the slower acquisitionof the MV odor detection task for rats which were raised inMV vapor and were tested first on that vapor. Inspection ofselected 10µm thick Nissl-stained sections of olfactorybulbs revealed no differences in intensity of staining, sizeof mitral cells or number of mitral cells between immediatelysacrificed and later sacrificed animals, or among the exposuregroups. These results are in agreement with reports that prolongedexposure to individual odors may be largely without effect onthe ability to detect that odor, but they fail to confirm earlierfindings of dense degeneration in selected areas of the mitralcell layer after prolonged odor exposure.     

Time-of-day-dependent effects of bright light exposure on human psychophysiology: comparison of daytime and nighttime exposure

Bright light can influence human psychophysiology instantaneously by inducing endocrine (suppression of melatonin, increasing cortisol levels), other physiological changes (enhancement of core body temperature), and psychological changes (reduction of sleepiness, increase of alertness). Its broad range of action is reflected in the wide field of applications, ranging from optimizing a work environment to treating depressed patients. For optimally applying bright light and understanding its mechanism, it is crucial to know whether its effects depend on the time of day. In this paper, we report the effects of bright light given at two different times of day on psychological and physiological parameters. Twenty-four subjects participated in two experiments (n = 12 each). All subjects were nonsmoking, healthy young males (18-30 yr). In both experiments, subjects were exposed to either bright light (5,000 lux) or dim light <10 lux (control condition) either between 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. (experiment A) or between midnight and 4:00 A.M. (experiment B). Hourly measurements included salivary cortisol concentrations, electrocardiogram, sleepiness (Karolinska Sleepiness Scale), fatigue, and energy ratings (Visual Analog Scale). Core body temperature was measured continuously throughout the experiments. Bright light had a time-dependent effect on heart rate and core body temperature; i.e., bright light exposure at night, but not in daytime, increased heart rate and enhanced core body temperature. It had no significant effect at all on cortisol. The effect of bright light on the psychological variables was time independent, since nighttime and daytime bright light reduced sleepiness and fatigue significantly and similarly.     

Microbial exposure during early human development primes fetal immune cells

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Single exposure to radiation produces early anti-angiogenic effects in mouse aorta

Radiation exposure can increase the risk for many non-malignant physiological complications, including cardiovascular disease. We have previously demonstrated that ionizing radiation can induce endothelial dysfunction, which contributes to increased vascular stiffness. In this study, we demonstrate that gamma radiation exposure reduced endothelial cell viability or proliferative capacity using an in vitro aortic angiogenesis assay. Segments of mouse aorta were embedded in a Matrigel-media matrix 1 day after mice received whole-body gamma irradiation between 0 and 20 Gy. Using three-dimensional phase contrast microscopy, we quantified cellular outgrowth from the aorta. Through fluorescent imaging of embedded aortas from Tie2GFP transgenic mice, we determined that the cellular outgrowth is primarily of endothelial cell origin. Significantly less endothelial cell outgrowth was observed in aortas of mice receiving radiation of 5, 10, and 20 Gy radiation, suggesting radiation-induced endothelial injury. Following 0.5 and 1 Gy doses of whole-body irradiation, reduced outgrowth was still detected. Furthermore, outgrowth was not affected by the location of the aortic segments excised along the descending aorta. In conclusion, a single exposure to gamma radiation significantly reduces endothelial cell outgrowth in a dose-dependent manner. Consequently, radiation exposure may inhibit re-endothelialization or angiogenesis after a vascular injury, which would impede vascular recovery.     

Sex-specific effects of early life cadmium exposure on DNA methylation and implications for birth weight

Dietary cadmium exposure was recently found to alter DNA methylation in adults, but data on effects early in life are lacking. Our objective was to evaluate associations between prenatal cadmium exposure, DNA methylation and birth weight. In total 127 mother-child pairs from rural Bangladesh were studied. For comparison, we included 56 children at 4.5 y. Cadmium concentrations in mothers’ blood (gestational week 14) and children’s urine were measured by ICPMS. Global DNA methylation was analyzed by Infinium HumanMethylation450K BeadChip in cord blood and children’s blood. Maternal cadmium exposure was associated with cord blood DNA methylation (p-value < 10^–16). The association was markedly sex-specific. In boys, 96% of the top 500 CpG sites showed positive correlations (r_S-values > 0.50), whereas most associations in girls were inverse; only 29% were positive (r_S > 0.45). In girls we found overrepresentation of methylation changes in genes associated with organ development, morphology and mineralization of bone, whereas changes in boys were found in cell death-related genes. Several individual CpG sites that were positively associated with cadmium were inversely correlated with birth weight, although none statistically significant after correction for multiple comparisons. The associations were, however, fairly robust in multivariable-adjusted linear regression models. We identified CpG sites that were significantly associated with cadmium exposure in both newborns and 4.5-y-old children. In conclusion, cadmium exposure in early life appears to alter DNA methylation differently in girls and boys. This is consistent with previous findings of sex-specific cadmium toxicity. Cadmium-related changes in methylation were also related to lower birth weight.     

Persistent aluminum accumulation after prolonged systemic aluminum exposure

To determine the distribution of aluminum (A1) following systemic exposure, female New Zealand white rabbits were given 20 subcutaneous injections, over 4 weeks, of 0, 25, 50, 100, 200, or 400 μmol A1/kg/injection, as the lactate salt. They were sacrificed 5 weeks after completion of injections and selected tissues removed for graphite furnace atomic absorption analysis of tissue A1 content. Rabbits not receiving A1 injections had mean tissue A1 concentrations ranging from 1.5-7.4 μg/g. Bone was higher, 18.7 μg/g. All tissues, except for muscle, demonstrated an increase in A1 concentration correlating with the A1 exposure. After 400 μmol A1/kg/injection for 20 injections, tissue A1 concentrations were: bone 90, heart 12, kidney-cortex 1290, kidney-medulla 245, liver 246, lung 19, and spleen 465 μg A1/g. The average of the 5 central nervous system regions sampled (frontal grey, white, hippocampus, cerebellum, and spinal cord) rose 53% over controls. Determination of A1 in kidney, liver, or bone may be useful in diagnosis of A1 overload conditions in humans (dialysis encepthalopathy, dialysis osteomalacia, and parenteral nutrition-associated osteomalacia). The rabbit appears to be a useful model to further study A1 intoxication syndromes.     

城市绿地暴露与人群健康效应研究

城市绿地是城市绿色基础设施和基于自然解决方案的主要载体,为人群提供了多种生态系统服务,关注人群健康和绿地布局的城市绿地暴露研究已经成为城市生态学、城市可持续发展等学科的前沿热点。目前国内外城市绿地暴露与人群健康研究仍处在兴起的初步发展状态,缺乏有效和公认的研究范式。尝试通过暴露科学的视角,研究城市绿地暴露及其人群健康效应的研究的热点领域:(1)从城市人群的绿地暴露特征来看,绿地暴露研究与现有旨在预防和减少环境污染暴露风险的传统环境健康研究的视角有显著不同,其目标是充分理解人群的绿地暴露特征及其产生健康效应的机制,鼓励和提高人群与绿地的有效和有益接触,服务于城市绿地和健康社区营造的科学规划和决策。(2)从城市绿地暴露的量化表征来看,现有的多种绿地暴露评价指标包括绿地可得性、绿地可及性和绿地可视性等多是表征了绿地的供给状况,并非直接的绿地暴露过程描述,未来可以结合城市人群的绿地暴露时空动态模式,参照总暴露数学方程来综合量化不同途径、访问周期、暴露时长等因素。(3)从城市绿地暴露的人群健康效应机制来看,现有绿地暴露的健康效应机制研究获得的通用理论性成果还不多,面临的挑战主要是:不同绿地健康效应研究采用的暴露特征指标不同,绿地暴露特征影响人群健康存在显著的尺度性,以及缺乏统一的绿地暴露健康效应调查方法。绿地在城市规划和建设中的作用尤其突出,但绿地的人群健康促进功能在我国城市规划和建设中还鲜有应用,作为城市生态学与环境风险、公共健康以及可持续发展的交叉前沿领域,相关成果将为指导健康导向的可持续城市/社区规划与建设提供直接的科学依据与理论支撑。     

Temporal changes in mitral cell response patterns during repeated odor exposure

The olfactory system of 17 goldfish was stimulated by natural odors, and from 31 mitral cells activity was extracellularly recorded as a response to the stimuli. 40 experiments were available for evaluation because nine of the 31 cells were investigated with respect to two different odors. The aim of this study was to examine the changes of the activity patterns during repeated runs of an experiment. 120 runs were taken in 15 experiments, 40 runs in 25 experiments, and 37 runs in 2 experiments. Nineteen out of the forty recordings showed patterned activities. In ten cases the patterns remained constant in all runs, while pattern changes occurred in nine cases. These changes sometimes happened abruptly after the first run or developed gradually over up to forty runs in other cases. Possible causes of the pattern changes are discussed.     

Sex-specific effects of gonadal steroids on conspecific odor preference in the rat

Effects of gonadal steroids on conspecific odor preference for either (1) sexually active male or active female, (2) sexually active or gonadectomized (gdx) males, (3) sexually active or gdx females, and (4) gdx males or gdx females were determined in male and female rats in a three-chamber apparatus. For the first test, gdx females were made sexually active by treatments with estradiol benzoate (EB) and progesterone (P), and sexually active males were selected by prior screening. Sexually active males and females preferred opposite-sex odor over same-sex odor. Odor of sexually active opposite-sex conspecifics was preferred over that of inactive ones. Immediately after the completion of the first test, sexually active males were gdx and females were left without hormonal treatment. Second and third tests were carried out 2 and 5 weeks after the first test. In the second test, gdx males preferred odor of sexually active males rather than that of receptive females (male-directed preference); in the third test, both males and females showed no preference when tested with four stimulus pairs. The final tests were carried out in gdx males with EB and P, and gdx females with 2-week exposure to testosterone (T). Males with EB and P showed a male-directed preference again, whereas T-treated females kept their own female preference. Injection of EB alone to gdx males did not induce any preference. The present study clearly demonstrated sex difference in conspecific odor preference. Although both male and female preferences depend on their circulating sex steroids, the direction of male preference is more susceptible to their hormonal states, compared to that of females.     

Ultrasonic vocalization in rat pups: effects of early postnatal exposure to haloperidol

The effects of prolonged postnatal administration of haloperidol (H) on ultrasonic vocalization elicited by the removal of rat pups from their nest were investigated. The results show that the number of ultrasonic calls was significantly reduced by H exposure from the 8th until the 14th day after birth. Conversely, this neuroleptic significantly increased the duration of ultrasound from the 4th up to the 16th day of age. Moreover, changes in the frequency of calls were produced by early postnatal treatment with H. These alterations could be due to an impaired functional maturation of the dopaminergic system produced by neonatal exposure to H. Furthermore, the present data suggest that ultrasonic vocalization may be considered as an early sensitive indicator of subtle changes elicited by the postnatal treatment with a dopamine receptor blocking agent at dose levels below those associated with overt signs of neurotoxicity.     

In vitro effects of pulsed near-ultraviolet laser exposure on human larynx carcinoma cells.

Effects of pulsed near-ultraviolet laser beam on structural characteristics and macromolecular synthesis of carcinoma HEp2 cells were investigated. Laser irradiation damage induced in these eukaryotic cells could be characterized by two development stages: a) a reversible stage with minor morphological damages (1.5 kJ/m2) and 2) an irreversible one, at higher fluences, characterized by cellular membrane damage, necrobiosis and cells detachment from the substrate (4.5 kJ/m2). A. Studies performed referring to macromolecular syntheses of low laser fluences (1.5 kJ/m2)--irradiated HEp2 cells showed the following aspects: a) syntheses inhibiton phase in the first cycles of cellular replication and b) syntheses stimulation phases in the following cycle with total repair of laser-induced molecular lesions. B. At high laser fluences (3-4.5 kJ/m2), metabolic lesions repair was partially or totally blocked after prolonged culturing at 37 degrees C. Ths paper suggests some mechanisms of laser action on macromolecular synthesis and correlates them with morphological changes induced by laser exposure of carcinoma cells.     

Antagonistic interactions between odorants alter human odor perception

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Neural and behavioral changes in rats following continuous exposure to an odor

Summary Continuous exposure of young rats to the almond-like odor of acetophenone or cyclohexanone for up to 4 months, resulted in distinct but similar patterns of degenerating mitral cells in their olfactory bulbs. Rats favored their exposure odor in olfactory preference tests (Fig. 2) and their acuity for it was not altered (Fig. 3). However, they appeared to exhibit a deficit in detecting a similar but novel odor. The results suggest that the remaining normal mitral cells in the bulbs of these animals are those stimulated by the exposure odor. Cells which show signs of degeneration (Fig. 4) may receive little or no input from the periphery. Controls exposed to a similar but non-odorous environment showed evidence of non-selective mitral cell degeneration. In addition they had a lower acuity for acetophenone and cyclohexanone than animals reared in a normal rat colony (Fig. 3). Anatomical and behavioral data from odor exposed and control groups, suggest that partial regeneration of altered mitral cells may have occurred during a 5 month period following exposure. Overall the results provide further evidence for a topographical projection of the olfactory receptor epithelium onto the olfactory bulb and spatial coding of different odors in the bulb.