壬基酚对波纹巴非蛤(Paphia undulata)内脏团毒性效应

采用半静态毒性实验方法测定了壬基酚(NP)对波纹巴非蛤(Paphiaundulata)的96-hLC50值,同时研究了低、中、高3个浓度(1、10和25μg·L-1)NP胁迫下以及胁迫解除后波纹巴非蛤内脏团中超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、谷胱甘肽(GSH)、过氧化物酶(POD)以及丙二醛(MDA)含量的变化趋势。急性毒性实验结果表明,NP对波纹巴非蛤的96-hLC50值为260μg·L-1。胁迫初期,低、中浓度组的SOD活性被极显著抑制(P<0.01),而POD活性则被极显著诱导(P<0.01),表现为典型的毒性兴奋效应。胁迫过程中,低、中浓度组波纹巴非蛤内脏团的SOD活性和GSH含量呈先下降后上升的趋势,而POD活性和MDA含量则呈先上升后下降的趋势;高浓度组SOD活性呈先抑制后诱导的趋势,POD活性和MDA含量呈先下降后升高再降低的趋势,而GSH含量则一直显著高于对照组。GSH和MDA含量在整个胁迫期间均出现剧烈的波动,且浓度越高其变化程度越大。胁迫解除后,低、中浓度组的各种指标逐渐恢复到对照组水平,但高浓度组与对照组仍存在着极显著差异。上述结果表明,NP对波纹巴非蛤内脏团的抗氧化酶系统造成较为明显的影响,而波纹巴非蛤则对一定程度的NP胁迫所带来的氧化损伤具有自我修复的能力,但对高浓度NP胁迫所造成的脂质过氧化损伤短期内却无法消除。     

Development of seawater adaptation in pink salmon,Oncorhynchus gorbuscha,during downstream migration: relationships to temperature and residual yolk

Synopsis Seawater adaptability of wild pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, alevins was investigated using 96 h LC50 test, muscle sodium level and weight loss tests. Five temperature (2, 6, 9, 13 and 16°C) and two yolk groups were analysed during the beginning, the middle and the end of downstream migration. Both temperature and amount of residual yolk affected seawater adaptability. The computation of muscle sodium levels and weight loss after a short term (3–12 h) seawater challenge test may be a convenient method to estimate the seawater adaptability of fish too small to allow analysis of blood sodium concentration.     

急性氨氮胁迫对于草鱼sod和hsp90基因表达及鳃部结构的影响

实验通过测定草鱼的24h半致死浓度, 鳃的细胞结构以及sod和hsp90的表达模式研究了草鱼在组织学和分子生物学水平上对高浓度氨氮暴露的响应。经过半致死实验确定的氨氮24h LC50为243 mg/L试验中草鱼被置于5个浓度的处理组中(50、72、104、151、220 mg/L), 之后取鳃组织进行组织切片分析, 取肝脏、肠和鳃来测定sod和hsp90的表达情况。经过高浓度的氨氮暴露处理, 鳃组织的细胞排列和结构产生了明显的变化, 并且sod和hsp90的表达受到了显著的上调。这些结果表明, 高浓度的氨氮能够损害鳃部的细胞结构并且诱导应激蛋白的表达。这个结果同样显示出, sod和hsp90可以作为评估草鱼氨氮暴露水平的良好指标。     

Modeling the long-term effect of PCBs on Everglades fish communities

Fish communities are regularly exposed to a large number of natural and synthetic toxic chemicals, whose harmful effects, both short-term and long-term, need to be studied. Mathematical simulation models are known to be useful tools in the assessment of both acute and chronic effects. A time-concentration-effect model has been developed to assess the long-term effect of PCBs on multi generations of fish communities in the Florida Everglades. The term fish is used here generically to refer to five functional fish groups (FGs), two having small and two having large adult size, and a crustacean (crayfish), each of which are further composed of several age classes. Several contaminant concentration scenarios are analyzed in the simulations, subject to mortality and hatchability failure. The model predicts the population response time series for each FG, based upon exposure concentration and duration. Model results indicate that a concentration of 0.1 gl^–1 could have adverse effects on survival and reproduction success for Everglades fish communities. For comparison, the USEPA has stipulated a standard of 0.014 gl^–1 for the protection of freshwater fish from chronic effects and a standard of 1.0 gl^–1 from acute effects. Hopefully, the model may be further developed to assist in the formulation of policy or regulations concerning aquatic ecological risk to protect the aquatic ecosystem of the Everglades.     

Effect of static magnetic fields on bioelectric properties of the Br and N1 neurons of snail Helix pomatia

The effects of 2.7 mT and 10 mT static magnetic fields were investigated on two identified neurons with different bioelectric properties of the snail Helix pomatia. Membrane resting potential, amplitude, spiking frequency, and duration of action potential were measured. The two neurons of H. pomatia, parabolic burster Br and silent N₁, showed different responses to a static magnetic field. The magnetic field of 2.7 mT intensity caused changes in the amplitude and duration of action potential of the Br neuron, whereas the 10 mT magnetic field changed the resting potential, amplitude spike, firing frequency, and duration of action potential of the Br neuron. Bioelectric parameters measured on the N₁ neuron did not change significantly in these magnetic fields.     

Effects of toxins from two strains of Verticillium lecanii (Hyphomycetes) on bioattributes of a predatory ladybeetle, Delphastus catalinae (Col., Coccinellidae)

Abstract:  The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci ; Hom., Aleyrodidae) predator ladybird beetles, Delphastus catalinae (Col., Coccinellidae), are not adversely affected in the field by the crude insecticidal toxins extracted from two strains of the fungus Verticillium lecanii , V3450 and Vp28. We developed a method to evaluate sublethal toxicity and its effects on consumption and functional response of D. catalinae . The crude toxins have low toxicity against beetle larva with LC₅₀ values of 1942 (1393–2710) and 2471 (1291–4731) p.p.m., respectively (approximately 10- and 12-fold of field rate of application 200 p.p.m.). The adult beetles had less sensitivity to crude toxins with LC₅₀ values of 4260 (3376–5375) and 4426 (1734–11298) p.p.m., respectively (approximately 20- and 22-fold of field rate 200 p.p.m.). The consumption and foraging capacity were significantly impaired especially in the second-instar larval beetles which took longer time (more than twice of the control beetles) to consume whitefly eggs after exposure to toxins, although D. catalinae suffered no significant effect on fecundity and longevity, when exposed to a toxin dilution of field rate. The data suggest that spraying of V. lecanii or its toxins should be avoided in the field having immature stages of D. catalinae .     

Anti-apoptosis and cell survival: A review

Type I programmed cell death (PCD) or apoptosis is critical for cellular self-destruction for a variety of processes such as development or the prevention of oncogenic transformation. Alternative forms, including type II (autophagy) and type III (necrotic) represent the other major types of PCD that also serve to trigger cell death. PCD must be tightly controlled since disregulated cell death is involved in the development of a large number of different pathologies. To counter the multitude of processes that are capable of triggering death, cells have devised a large number of cellular processes that serve to prevent inappropriate or premature PCD. These cell survival strategies involve a myriad of coordinated and systematic physiological and genetic changes that serve to ward off death. Here we will discuss the different strategies that are used to prevent cell death and focus on illustrating that although anti-apoptosis and cellular survival serve to counteract PCD, they are nevertheless mechanistically distinct from the processes that regulate cell death.     

Probabilistic Analysis of Human Health Risks Associated with Background Concentrations of Inorganic Arsenic: Use of a Margin of Exposure Approach

Substantial evidence exists from epidemiological and mechanistic studies supporting a sublinear or threshold dose–response relationship for the carcinogenicity of ingested arsenic; nonetheless, current regulatory agency evaluations have quantified arsenic risks using default, generic risk assessment procedures that assume a linear, no-threshold dose–response relationship. The resulting slope factors predict risks from U.S. background arsenic exposures that exceed certain regulatory levels of concern, an outcome that presents challenges for risk communication and risk management decisions. To better reflect the available scientific evidence, this article presents the results of a Margin of Exposure (MOE) analysis to characterize risks associated with typical and high-end background exposures of the U.S. population to arsenic from food, water, and soil. MOE values were calculated by comparing a no-observable-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) derived from the epidemiological literature with exposure estimates generated using a probabilistic (Monte Carlo) model. The plausibility and conservative nature of the exposure and risk estimates evaluated in this analysis are supported by sensitivity and uncertainty analyses and by comparing predicted urinary arsenic concentrations with empirical data. Using the more scientifically supported MOE approach, the analysis presented in this article indicates that typical and high-end background exposures to inorganic arsenic in U.S. populations do not present elevated risks of carcinogenicity.     

猫听觉脑干诱发电反应中P_(2a)和P_(2b)波的起源

在33例猫将普鲁卡因或海人酸微量注入耳蜗核(CN)和上橄榄复合体(SOC)内,观察ABR的相应改变,以分析P_(2a)和P_(2b)波的来源。猫P_(2a)波的出现率与电极导联有关,颅顶-颈后为90％,颅顶-乳突仅为18％。普普卡因注入CN后,同侧耳短声诱发的ABR仅保留P_1波,对侧耳的则无改变。海人酸注入CN后,P_1和P_(2a)存留,P_(2a)不减小反而增大。普鲁卡因注入双侧SOC,可使P_3、P_4和P_5消失。这些结果提示,P_(2a)波主要起源于CN区域内的第一级听觉传入神经元轴突并受第二级神经元负电位的影响,P_(2b)波主要起源于SOC以下的第二级听觉传入神经元,猫的P_(2a)和P_(2a)波与对侧脑干结构无关。     

The response of sorghum and sunflower to short-term waterlogging

Summary The effect of waterlogging on water use and nutrient uptake in sunflower and sorghum was investigated in relation to stage of development of the crops and the timing and duration of waterlogging. Waterlogging at the vegetative and floral initiation stages of plant growth induced a reduction in water use of sunflower, with corresponding declines in leaf expansion and leaf water potential; in sorghum, the transpiration rates were much lower than for sunflower and relatively unaffected by waterlogging. Waterlogging at anthesis, however, caused an immediate reduction in water use in sunflower with a similar but delayed effect in sorghum. The differences in response of these two species are discussed in relation to the relative importance of water stress and nutrient uptake. Plant analysis at maturity indicated that waterlogging at any growth stage reduced both total and seed phosphorus in sunflower; similar effects were recorded with sorghum, with the exception of anthesis waterlogging which did not reduce nutrient uptake. Waterlogging effects on plant potassium levels were variable.     

Shifting dynamic forces in fish stock fluctuations triggered by age truncation?

Accumulating evidence shows that environmental fluctuations and exploitation jointly affect marine fish populations, and understanding their interaction is a key issue for fisheries ecology. In particular, it has been proposed that age truncation induced by fisheries exploitation may increase the population's sensitivity to climate. In this study, we use unique long‐term abundance data for the Northeast Arctic stock of cod (Gadus morhua) and the Norwegian Spring‐Spawning stock of herring (Clupea harengus), which we analyze using techniques based on age‐structured population matrices. After identifying time periods with different age distributions in the spawning stock, we use linear models to quantify the relative effect of exploitation and temperature on the population growth rates. For the two populations, age truncation was found to be associated with an increasing importance of temperature and a relatively decreasing importance of exploitation, while the population growth rate became increasingly sensitive to recruitment variations. The results suggested that the removal of older age classes reduced the buffering capacity of the population, thereby making the population growth rate more dependent on recruitment than adult survival and increasing the effect of environmental fluctuations. Age structure appeared as a key characteristic that can affect the response of fish stocks to climate variations and its consequences may be of key importance for conservation and management.