Effects of copper, cadmium and contaminated harbour sediments on recolonisation of soft-bottom communities

An extensive field experiment on benthic colonisation on polluted sediments was carried out at 50 m depth at three locations representative of the pollution gradient in the inner Oslofjord. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of copper, cadmium and polluted harbour sediment on recolonisation of benthic fauna, and whether the response varied with a varying degree of background pollution. Copper and cadmium were added to the local sediments at the three locations, while the contaminated harbour sediment was taken from the hypoxic Oslo harbour and transplanted to well-oxygenated and less-polluted locations. Oslo harbour has a poor macrofauna, the sediments are heavily contaminated and the oxygen levels in the bottom waters are low. One of the aims of this experiment was to separate effects of contamination from effects of low oxygen. Sediments with high levels of copper (∼400-1500 mg/kg) clearly had a negative effect on colonisation by several taxa. This negative response was more pronounced at the relatively pristine location in the outer fjord compared to the more polluted sites, probably as a result of an increased bioavailability of the metals in sediments with lower concentrations of organic carbon. Sediments with high levels of cadmium (∼9-23 mg/kg), on the other hand, did not have negative effects on colonisation of any taxa. In the boxes with polluted harbour sediments, only the polychaete Raricirrus beryli showed reduced abundance. This lack of community response clearly indicates that hypoxia is more critical than high concentrations of contaminants for the establishment of a normal benthic fauna in the Oslo harbour area. The experiment only lasted for 6 months and the recolonising fauna was dominated by opportunistic and r-selected species. Long-term toxic effects may therefore have occurred if the experiment had lasted longer. The experiment also showed that the time for the development of a community resembling the ambient community was faster on the polluted than on the more pristine location.     

Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines Reduce the Proliferation of NG2 Cells and Increase Shedding of NG2 In Vivo and In Vitro

Neuron glial 2 (NG2) cells become strongly activated in injured brain areas. The activation is characterized by increased proliferation as well as increased expression and shedding of the proteoglycan NG2 expressed on their cell surface. It is currently not known how these cells respond to low-grade neuroinflammation provoked by systemic inflammation. To investigate this, we analyzed NG2 cell proliferation as well as soluble NG2 (sNG2) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from rats treated with an acute intraperitoneal (i.p) injection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) or saline and sacrificed after 2 or 24 hours. The systemically induced neuroinflammation was confirmed as elevated levels of cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β, and MHCII expressing microglia were found 24 h after LPS treatment. At this time point NG2 cell proliferation was significantly decreased in both amygdala and hippocampus and sNG2 levels in CSF were increased twofold. We also exposed human NG2 cells in culture to IL-6 and IL-1β for 24 h and found, in line with our in vivo study, a direct impact of these cytokines reducing cell proliferation and increasing shedding of NG2. We conclude that LPS induced systemic inflammation significantly affects NG2 cell proliferation and shedding and that these two events at least in in part are mediated by IL-6 and IL-1β.     

Sensitive males: inbreeding depression in an endangered bird

Attempts to conserve threatened species by establishing new populations via reintroduction are controversial. Theory predicts that genetic bottlenecks result in increased mating between relatives and inbreeding depression. However, few studies of wild sourced reintroductions have carefully examined these genetic consequences. Our study assesses inbreeding and inbreeding depression in a free-living reintroduced population of an endangered New Zealand bird, the hihi (Notiomystis cincta). Using molecular sexing and marker-based inbreeding coefficients estimated from 19 autosomal microsatellite loci, we show that (i) inbreeding depresses offspring survival, (ii) male embryos are more inbred on average than female embryos, (iii) the effect of inbreeding depression is male-biased and (iv) this population has a substantial genetic load. Male susceptibility to inbreeding during embryo and nestling development may be due to size dimorphism, resulting in faster growth rates and more stressful development for male embryos and nestlings compared with females. This work highlights the effects of inbreeding at early life-history stages and the repercussions for the long-term population viability of threatened species.     

Processing of pistachio nuts

New mechanical procedures for processing pistachio nuts make economical preparation for marketing possible in the United States. These new developments include mechanical dehulling, methods for separating empty nuts from those with well developed kernels, and methods for separating split nuts from those with closed shells.     

A cytochemical study of pycnotic nuclear degeneration

Pycnotic degeneration of neoplastic and normal nuclei of mice has been studied cytologically and cytochemically, in pieces of tissues removed some time after subcutaneous transplantation. The cytological changes in pycnosis were found to be about as they have often been described earlier: the nuclei become spherical, shrink progressively, the nucleoli become lost, the chromatin becomes homogeneous. The relative changes in total desoxyribose nucleic acid were followed by the Feulgen reaction; the methylgreen stain was used as an index of nuclei acid polymerization; the Millon reaction was used for the detection of the protein changes. In order to measure the amounts of the Feulgen and methylgreen dye, respectively the color developed by the Millon reaction within individual nuclei, the photometric microscopic method after Pollister and Ris was used, which allows the estimation of relative amounts of colored precipitates within individual nuclei of fixed and stained sections. Using these methods the nucleoprotein composition of resting nuclei of a viable tumortissue was compared with that of three pycnotic stages (Stage I, II, III) in nuclei of necrotic areas of the same tumor tissue (Sarcoma 180). In Sarcoma 180 the change from a fresh tumor cell to Pycnosis I involves loss of nearly half the protein, no significant decrease in desoxyribose nucleic acid, and depolymerisation of over half of the desoxyribose nucleic acid. Later these processes continue, and there is added progressive loss of DNA. It is pointed out that at any pycnotic stage there is a total protein equivalent to about 20 times the highly polymerised (methylgreen positive) DNA, which is the ratio found in non-pycnotic nuclei of the type from which these were derived. It is suggested that this part of the pycnotic chromatin represents the unaltered nucleoprotein. In transplanted liver nuclei pycnosis is much more rapid than in neoplastic tissue, but otherwise the two processes are similar both cytologically and chemically. The discussion points out that: a) there is no real increase in chromatin stainability in pycnotic nuclei; b) the change of shape in pycnosis may be due to lower nuclear viscosity accompanying the DNA depolymerisation; c) the highly polymerised state of the DNA may depend upon the presence of some particular protein, possibly histone; and d) that pyenosis can be interpreted as showing high proteolytic activity in the nucleus and a delayed nuclease activity.     

Aflatoxin in corn: ammonia inactivation and bioassay with rainbow trout.

Four samples of corn were compared with respect to their hepatocarcinogenicity in rainbow trout. One corn sample was found by chemical analysis to contain no detectable aflatoxin. A second sample was contaminated with aflatoxins at a level of 180 microgram/kg. Each of the above-mentioned samples was divided, and one-half of each was ammoniated. These four samples were added to a semipurified basal diet and fed to a sensitive strain of rainbow trout. It was found that ammoniation inactivated the aflatoxins and reduced the carcinogenicity of the contaminated corn to a level that was not significantly different from that with the basal control diet. It was also found that the ammoniation process did not reduce the nutritive value of the corn.     

Abundance of actinobacteria and production of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol in Danish streams and fish ponds

Occurrence of the odours geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) in freshwater environments indicates that odour-producing organisms are commonly occurring. In the present study, we assumed actinomycetes to be a major source of the odours. Seasonal concentrations of odours and abundance of Actinobacteria, which includes actinomycetes and other G+ and high GC bacteria, were determined in one oligotrophic and two eutrophic freshwater streams, as well as in aquacultures connected to these streams, in Denmark. Concentrations of geosmin and MIB ranged from 2 to 9 ng l(-1) and were lowest in the winter. Passage of stream water in the aquacultures increased the amount of geosmin and MIB by up to 55% and 110%, respectively. Densities of actinobacteria were determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization with catalyzed reporter deposition (CARD-FISH) technique and were found to make up from 4 to 38 x 10(7) cells l(-1), corresponding to 3-9% of the total bacterial populations. The lowest densities of actinobacteria occurred in the winter. Filamentous bacteria targeted by the FISH probe made up about 2.7-38% (average was 22%) of the actinobacteria and were expected to be actinomycetes. Combined microautoradiography and CARD-FISH demonstrated that 10-38% (incorporation of 3H-thymidine) and 41-65% (incorporation of 3H-leucine) of the actinobacteria were metabolically active. The proportion of active actinobacteria increased up to 2-fold during passage of stream water in the aquacultures, and up to 98% of the cells became active. Sequencing of 16S rRNA genes in 8 bacterial isolates with typical actinomycete morphology from the streams and ponds demonstrated that most of them belonged to the genus Streptomyces. The isolated actinomycetes produced geosmin at rates from 0.1 to 35 aggeosmin bacterium(-1)h(-1). MIB was produced at similar rates in 5 isolates, whereas no MIB was produced by three of the isolates. Addition of the odours to stream water demonstrated that indigenous stream bacteria were capable of reducing the odours, and that enrichment with LB medium stimulated the degradation. Our study shows that bacterial communities in freshwater include geosmin- and MIB-producing actinobacteria. However, the mechanisms controlling production as well as degradation of the odours in natural waters appear complex and require further research.     

Assimilation efficiency of adult Kittiwakes and Brünnich's Guillemots fed Capelin and Arctic Cod

The mean assimilation efficiencies of 10 adult Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and 10 Brünnich's Guillemots (Uria lomvia) fed on Capelin (Mallotus villosus) were 77.5% and 74.4%, respectively. When fed on Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida) they were 83.1% and 78.2%, respectively. After correction for nitrogen retention, the assimilation efficiencies decreased to 72.2%, 70.6%, 81.2% and 74.7%, respectively. Kittiwakes and Brünnich's Guillemots seem to have the same ability to utilize the energy of the different food items. The differences in assimilation efficiencies when fed two fish species was mainly related to the fat content of the fish.     

Testing environmental and social indicators for biorefineries: bioethanol and biochemical production

Purpose

The article aims to test indicators for assessing the environmental and social impacts of biorefineries. Testing environmental and social impact categories and indicators, and selecting the most suitable ones, will simultaneously contribute to the further development of social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) methodologies while assessing several dimensions of sustainability at biorefineries.

Methods

The work applies two methodologies, environmental LCA (E-LCA) and social LCA (S-LCA), to two hypothetical production processes of second-generation bioethanol and biochemical in two alternative locations (Norway and the USA). Five impact categories were chosen for the E-LCA. The S-LCA was performed in two stages: a generic assessment (top-down approach) using the social hotspot database (SHDB 2013) to screen for potential social issues in the stakeholder group Worker in Norway and the USA and a specific assessment (bottom-up approach) for collecting data and confirming or refuting the SHDB results in the Norwegian case only.

Results and discussion

Bioethanol produced in the Norwegian biorefinery would perform relatively well in relation to climate change targets, with emissions of approximately 11 g CO₂-eq/MJ. The same production process located in the USA would produce emissions of approximately 29 g CO₂-eq/MJ. Other biorefinery products are difficult to compare because of a lack of clear alternatives. Bioethanol and biochemicals produced in the hypothetical USA production process have higher burdens than those from the Norwegian production process in all environmental categories assessed. For both production processes, the main social risks were in the category Health and safety followed by Labor rights and decent work. More detailed investigations in an existing Norwegian biorefinery value chain confirmed some of the risk issues but discarded others, demonstrating the necessity of providing specific data and results for the social dimension.

Conclusions

E-LCA and S-LCA make it possible to highlight the main environmental and social challenges when producing biochemicals. The SHDB has potential as a social screening tool although social indicators are not yet well established. Hence, specific assessment is necessary for validating the results in the social dimension. S-LCA is still in its infancy and needs to be applied in order to develop the best practice. The two methodologies addressed bioethanol and biochemical production performance in two different dimensions (environmental and social), and their combination makes it possible to achieve results that integrate the product-oriented approach with the more location-specific approach.

     

Intra-Articular Corticosteroids in Addition to Exercise for Reducing Pain Sensitivity in Knee Osteoarthritis: Exploratory Outcome from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective

To assess the effects of one intra-articular corticosteroid injection two weeks prior to an exercise-based intervention program for reducing pain sensitivity in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Design

Randomized, masked, parallel, placebo-controlled trial involving 100 participants with clinical and radiographic knee OA that were randomized to one intra-articular injection on the knee with either 1 ml of 40 mg/ml methylprednisolone (corticosteroid) dissolved in 4 ml lidocaine (10 mg/ml) or 1 ml isotonic saline (placebo) mixed with 4 ml lidocaine (10 mg/ml). Two weeks after the injections all participants undertook a 12-week supervised exercise program. Main outcomes were changes from baseline in pressure-pain sensitivity (pressure-pain threshold [PPT] and temporal summation [TS]) assessed using cuff pressure algometry on the calf. These were exploratory outcomes from a randomized controlled trial.

Results

A total of 100 patients were randomized to receive either corticosteroid (n = 50) or placebo (n = 50); 45 and 44, respectively, completed the trial. Four participants had missing values for PPT and one for TS at baseline; thus modified intention-to-treat populations were analyzed. The mean group difference in changes from baseline at week 14 was 0.6 kPa (95% CI: -1.7 to 2.8; P = 0.626) for PPT and 384 mm×sec (95% CI: -2980 to 3750; P = 0.821) for TS.

Conclusions

These results suggest that adding intra-articular corticosteroid injection 2 weeks prior to an exercise program does not provide additional benefits compared to placebo in reducing pain sensitivity in patients with knee OA.

Trial Registration

EU clinical trials (EudraCT): 2012-002607-18