Consumer Risk Assessment Associated with Intake of Pesticide Residues in Food of Plant Origin from the Retail Market in Poland

The aim of this study was to characterize short- and long-term risk for consumers associated with dietary intake of pesticide residues in fruits, vegetables, and other foodstuffs available on the Polish market based on 2010–2013 official surveillance results. Among 779 samples collected from 2010 to 2013 no pesticide residue was found in 39.7% samples while 58.5% contained residues at or below the EU Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs). Non-compliances (residues above the respective MRLs) were found in 14 samples (1.8%). Most of the estimated daily intakes were well below 1% of respective acceptable daily intake (ADI) values. The highest intake for children and adults was about 7% and 1.5% of ADI, respectively. For non-compliant results acute risk was characterized. Predicted short-term intakes for children and adults ranged from 0.7% to 425%, and from 0.2% to 100% of respective acute reference dose, respectively. Results of chronic risk characterization show that consumers in Poland are adequately protected; however, incidental cases where residue levels may potentially pose a threat to consumers’ health due to acute exposure cannot be excluded.     

Checklist of tortoise beetles (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae) from Colombia with new data and description of a new species

A new tortoise beetle species, Cyrtonota abrili, is described from the Antioquia and Caldas departments in Colombia. New faunistic data are provided for 87 species, including 16 new additions to the country’s fauna. A checklist of the known 238 species of tortoise beetles recorded from Colombia is given.     

Centipede (Chilopoda) richness and diversity in the Bug River valley (Eastern Poland)

The main aim of the survey was to describe the diversity and richness of Chilopoda in the selected area of the Bug River valley. The study sites were located in two regions differing in the shape of the valley, the presence of thermophilous habitats and the size of riparian forests. Pitfall traps were used as a sampling method. As a result, 444 specimens belonging to 12 centipede species of two orders – Geophilomorpha (four species) and Lithobiomorpha (eight species) were caught. Lithobius (Monotarsobius) curtipes C.L.Koch, 1847, Pachymerium ferrugineum (C.L.Koch, 1835), Lamyctes (Lamyctes) emarginatus (Newport, 1844) and Lithobius (Monotarsobius) dudichi Loksa, 1947 were the most common and the most numerous species. Of particular note is Lithobius dudichi found in Poland for the first time and previously known based on a single specimen. Two to 10 Chilopoda species were found in each habitat under investigation. The greatest species richness was found in thermophilous thickets (10 species), sandy grasslands (eight), xerothermic grasslands (eight) and mesic meadows (six). The fewest number of species (two) was found in rushes at oxbows and in wet meadows. We found differences in the species composition and the number of Chilopoda between the lower (102 specimens, six species) and the middle (324 specimens, 11 species) section of the river valley. Our results confirm the need to protect xerothermic habitats, unique almost throughout entire Central Europe, which due to their distribution and their small area covered are fairly easily subject to the process of destruction.     

Drivers of temporal changes in temperate forest plant diversity vary across spatial scales

Global biodiversity is affected by numerous environmental drivers. Yet, the extent to which global environmental changes contribute to changes in local diversity is poorly understood. We investigated biodiversity changes in a meta‐analysis of 39 resurvey studies in European temperate forests (3988 vegetation records in total, 17–75 years between the two surveys) by assessing the importance of (i) coarse‐resolution (i.e., among sites) vs. fine‐resolution (i.e., within sites) environmental differences and (ii) changing environmental conditions between surveys. Our results clarify the mechanisms underlying the direction and magnitude of local‐scale biodiversity changes. While not detecting any net local diversity loss, we observed considerable among‐site variation, partly explained by temporal changes in light availability (a local driver) and density of large herbivores (a regional driver). Furthermore, strong evidence was found that presurvey levels of nitrogen deposition determined subsequent diversity changes. We conclude that models forecasting future biodiversity changes should consider coarse‐resolution environmental changes, account for differences in baseline environmental conditions and for local changes in fine‐resolution environmental conditions.     

Quantitative analysis of mRNA expression levels and DNA methylation profiles of three neighboring genes: FUS1, NPRL2/G21 and RASSF1A in non-small cell lung cancer patients

Background

Tumor suppressor gene (TSG) inactivation plays a crucial role in carcinogenesis. FUS1, NPRL2/G21 and RASSF1A are TSGs from LUCA region at 3p21.3, a critical chromosomal region in lung cancer development. The aim of the study was to analyze and compare the expression levels of these 3 TSGs in NSCLC, as well as in macroscopically unchanged lung tissue surrounding the primary lesion, and to look for the possible epigenetic mechanism of TSG inactivation via gene promoter methylation.

Methods

Expression levels of 3 TSGs and 2 DNA methyltransferases, DNMT1 and DNMT3B, were assessed using real-time PCR method (qPCR) in 59 primary non-small cell lung tumors and the matched macroscopically unchanged lung tissue samples. Promoter methylation status of TSGs was analyzed using methylation-specific PCRs (MSP method) and Methylation Index (MI) value was calculated for each gene.

Results

The expression of all three TSGs were significantly different between NSCLC subtypes: RASSF1A and FUS1 expression levels were significantly lower in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and NPRL2/G21 in adenocarcinoma (AC). RASSF1A showed significantly lower expression in tumors vs macroscopically unchanged lung tissues. Methylation frequency was 38–76 %, depending on the gene. The highest MI value was found for RASSF1A (52 %) and the lowest for NPRL2/G21 (5 %). The simultaneous decreased expression and methylation of at least one RASSF1A allele was observed in 71 % tumor samples. Inverse correlation between gene expression and promoter methylation was found for FUS1 (rs = −0.41) in SCC subtype. Expression levels of DNMTs were significantly increased in 75–92 % NSCLCs and were significantly higher in tumors than in normal lung tissue. However, no correlation between mRNA expression levels of DNMTs and DNA methylation status of the studied TSGs was found.

Conclusions

The results indicate the potential role of the studied TSGs in the differentiation of NSCLC histopathological subtypes. The significant differences in RASSF1A expression levels between NSCLC and macroscopically unchanged lung tissue highlight its possible diagnostic role in lung cancer in situ recognition. High percentage of lung tumor samples with simultaneous RASSF1A decreased expression and gene promoter methylation indicates its epigenetic silencing. However, DNMT overexpression doesn’t seem to be a critical determinate of its promoter hypermethylation.     

Ultrafiltrative separation of rhamnolipid from culture medium

Classic methods of biosurfactant separation are difficult and require large amounts of organic solvents, thus generate high amounts of waste. This work presents and discusses in detail an original procedure to separate rhamnolipid from fermentation broth using high performance membrane techniques. Due to the unique properties of surface active agents, such as capability of forming aggregates above the critical micelle concentration, it is possible to easily purify the biosurfactant with high efficacy using inexpensive and commonly used membranes. In this article, two-stage ultrafiltration is proposed as a method for separating and purifying rhamnolipid from the culture medium. The obtained purified rhamnolipid solution was capable of reducing surface tension of water down to 28.6 mN/m at critical micelle concentration of 40 mg/l. Separation of rhamnolipid was confirmed by HPLC; three types of rhamnolipids were identified (RL1, RL2, RL4), with considerable predominance of RL2.     

Study of prolactin permeation through the pericardium and its bioavailability

The prolactin (PRL) permeation through the pericardium depending on the species of origin (porcine, bovine and ovine) was studied, and the parameters of its bioavailability were calculated. An in vitro model using pericardium as a natural membrane and Frantz cell method was applied. Significant differences in permeation were observed depending on the species of origin. Within 5 h, 17.5% of bovine PRL, 27.2% of porcine PRL and 90.3% of ovine PRL permeated the pericardium. The amount of permeated ovine PRL was 3.3-fold higher than porcine PRL and 5.2-fold higher than bovine PRL. The maximum concentration of permeated PRL was reached in the thirtieth minute of the experiment and was the highest for ovine PRL (C(max) = 677.21 μg/cm2) and the lowest for bovine PRL (C(max) = 259.97 μg/cm2). Bioavailability of PRL through the pericardium is 3.3-fold greater for ovine PRL in comparison to porcine or bovine PRL. The relative extent of bioavailability for bovine and ovine prolactin versus the porcine PRL standard was 85.6% and 229.3%, respectively.     

The efficient synthesis of isotopically labeled peptide-derived Amadori products and their characterization

Protein glycation is often a cause of diabetes-associated complications. The isotopically labeled peptide-derived Amadori products may serve as standards for quantitative determination of the glycated proteins. In this paper, we discussed various approaches to the synthesis of Amadori products labeled selectively with stable isotopes ²H, ¹³C and ¹⁸O.