Insolubility of Cr2O3 in Bioaccessibility Tests Points to Requirement for a New Human Oral Reference Dose for Trivalent Chromium

Bioaccessibility measurements have the potential to improve the accuracy of risk assessments and reduce the potential costs of remediation when they reveal that the solubility of chemicals in a matrix (e.g., soil) differs markedly from that in the critical toxicity study (i.e., the key study from which a toxicological or toxicity reference value is derived). We aimed to apply this approach to a brownfield site contaminated with chromium, and found that the speciation was Cr^III, using a combination of alkaline digestion/diphenylcarbazide complexation and X-ray absorption near edge structure analysis. The bioaccessibility of Cr₂O₃, the compound on which a reference dose for Cr^III is based, was substantially lower (<0.1%) than that of the Cr^III in the soils, which was a maximum of 9%, giving relative bioaccessibility values of 13,000% in soil. This shows that the reference dose is based on essentially an insoluble compound, and thus we suggest that other compounds be considered for toxicity testing and derivation of reference dose. Two possibilities are CrCl₃·6H₂O and KCr(SO₄)₂·12H₂O, which have been used for derivation of ecological toxicity reference values and are soluble at a range of dosing levels in our bioaccessibility tests.     

The Neural Basis of Responsibility Attribution in Decision-Making

Social responsibility links personal behavior with societal expectations and plays a key role in affecting an agent’s emotional state following a decision. However, the neural basis of responsibility attribution remains unclear. In two previous event-related brain potential (ERP) studies we found that personal responsibility modulated outcome evaluation in gambling tasks. Here we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study to identify particular brain regions that mediate responsibility attribution. In a context involving team cooperation, participants completed a task with their teammates and on each trial received feedback about team success and individual success sequentially. We found that brain activity differed between conditions involving team success vs. team failure. Further, different brain regions were associated with reinforcement of behavior by social praise vs. monetary reward. Specifically, right temporoparietal junction (RTPJ) was associated with social pride whereas dorsal striatum and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) were related to reinforcement of behaviors leading to personal gain. The present study provides evidence that the RTPJ is an important region for determining whether self-generated behaviors are deserving of praise in a social context.     

Inhibition of the HIV-1 and HIV-2 proteases by curcumin and curcumin boron complexes

Curcumin, a relatively non-toxic natural product isolated from Curcuma longa, is a modest inhibitor of the HIV-1 (1050 = 100 μM) and HIV-2 (IC₅₀ = 250 μM) proteases. Simple modifications of the curcumin structure raise the IC₅₀ value but complexes of the central dihydroxy groups of curcumin with boron lower the IC₅₀ to a value as low as 6 μM. The boron complexes are also time-dependent inactivators of the HIV proteases. The increased affinity of the boron complexes may reflect binding of the orthogonal domains of the inhibitor in intersecting sites within the substrate-binding cavity of the enzyme, while activation of the ,β-unsaturated carbonyl group of curcumin by chelation to boron probably accounts for time-dependent inhibition of the enzyme.     

羊角椒辣味物质成份分析

用紫外光谱法、红外光谱法和高效液相色谱法分析羊角椒中辣味物质纯度与组成,表明辣味物质由辣椒素、二氢辣椒素和降二氢辣椒素组成。     

Interaction of glycophorin with lipid bilayer studied by calorimetry, densitometry, static light scattering, and electron microscopy.

In the first part of the present work the interaction of glycophorin with dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) is studied by freeze fracture electron microscopy, densitometry, calorimetry, and 90 degree static light scattering. An exothermic lipid/protein interaction energy of WP = 190 kJ.mol-1 was found by application of the well known Van Laar relation for the displacement of the freezing point and the Gibbs-Duhem relationship. Secondly, the effects of Ca2+ on the lipid/protein interaction were studied. Following Ca2+ addition a remarkable decoupling of the interaction of the glycophorin head group with the bilayer surface was revealed by densitometry and gold-labeling electron microscopy. It is estimated that about 80% of lipid once disturbed by the adsorption of glycophorin head groups is decoupled after addition of Ca2+. Thirdly, the selective interaction of glycophorin with binary lipid mixtures was studied, including the mixtures of DMPC with dimyristoylphosphatidylserine (DMPS) and dilauroylphosphatidylcholine (DLPC), and the mixture of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) with DLPC.     

Phyto- and protozooplankton biomass during austral summer in surface waters of the Weddell Sea and vicinity

Summary Phyto- and protozooplankton were sampled in the upper 10 m of the water column in austral summer during a cruise of RV Polarstern from January 6 to February 20 1985 in the eastern Bransfield Strait vicinity and in the northern, southeastern (off Vestkapp, twice: I and II) and southern Weddell Sea (Vahsel Bay across the Filchner Depression to Gould Bay). The plankton assemblages are discussed in relation to physical, chemical and biological factors in the different geographical areas in summer. Phytoplankton biomass (Phytoplankton carbon, PPC) ranged from 4–194 g carbon/l and consisted on average of 65% diatoms and 35% autotrophic flagellates. Whereas in the northwest phytoplankton assemblages were dominated by small nanoflagellates (78% of PPC), higher biomass of diatoms (54–94% of PPC) occurred at the other sampling sites. In general autotrophic flagellates and small pennate diatoms dominated at oceanic stations; in neritic areas large centric diatoms prevailed. Chlorophyll a concentrations ranged from 0.25–3.14/g chl a/l with a mean of 1.13/gmg chlorophyll a/l and an average phytoplankton carbon/chlorophyll a ratio of 39. Protozooplankton biomass (Protozooplankton carbon, PZC) ranged from 0–67 g carbon/l and consisted of 49% ciliates, 49% heterotrophic dinoflagellates and 2% tintinnids. Heterotrophic dinoflagellates were more important in the northern investigation areas (58%–84% of PZC). Ciliates dominated the protozooplankton in the southeast and south (56%–65% of PZC); higher abundances of tintinnids were observed only in the south (11% of PZC). The most remarkable feature of the surface waters was the high protozooplankton biomass: protozooplankton amounted to 25% on an average of the combined biomass of PPC plus PZC for the entire investigation period. Protozoan biomass in the southeastern and southern Weddell Sea occasionally exceeded phytoplankton biomass. Temperature, salinity, and inorganic nutrients were generally lower in the southern regions; at most of these stations a meltwater layer occurred in the upper meters of the water column. We suggest that this physical regime allows a well developed summer system with a high proportion of heterotrophic microplankton. In the eastern Bransfield Strait, in the northern Weddell Sea and close to the coast off Vestkapp (I), however, early summer conditions occurred with less protozooplankton contribution.Contribution no. 427 from the Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research     

SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein causes acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)-like pathological damages and constitutes an antiviral target

Cytokine storm and multi-organ failure are the main causes of SARS-CoV-2-related death. However, the origin of excessive damages caused by SARS-CoV-2 remains largely unknown. Here we show that the SARS-CoV-2 envelope (2-E) protein alone is able to cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)-like damages in vitro and in vivo. 2-E proteins were found to form a type of pH-sensitive cation channels in bilayer lipid membranes. As observed in SARS-CoV-2-infected cells, heterologous expression of 2-E channels induced rapid cell death in various susceptible cell types and robust secretion of cytokines and chemokines in macrophages. Intravenous administration of purified 2-E protein into mice caused ARDS-like pathological damages in lung and spleen. A dominant negative mutation lowering 2-E channel activity attenuated cell death and SARS-CoV-2 production. Newly identified channel inhibitors exhibited potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity and excellent cell protective activity in vitro and these activities were positively correlated with inhibition of 2-E channel. Importantly, prophylactic and therapeutic administration of the channel inhibitor effectively reduced both the viral load and secretion of inflammation cytokines in lungs of SARS-CoV-2-infected transgenic mice expressing human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE-2). Our study supports that 2-E is a promising drug target against SARS-CoV-2.Subject terms: Cell death, Molecular biology     

油藏微生物群落研究的方法学

油藏微生物群落的解析和认知是开发和应用微生物采油技术的基础。利用各种提高油藏微生物可培养性的方法和非培养技术解析不同油藏微生物的群落结构、功能和多样性,对定向调控油藏微生物群落、开发和应用有效微生物驱油技术具有重要的指导意义。通过调查新近发展的提高微生物可培养性的方法和措施以及不依赖于培养的分子微生物生态学技术,总结了油藏微生物群落研究方法学的最新进展。提高微生物可培养性的方法和措施主要通过模拟微生物的生存环境,减少富营养的毒害作用、添加信号分子维持微生物细胞间的作用和提供新型电子供体和受体等手段采用稀释法、高通量培养法等方法得以实现;不依赖于培养的分子微生物生态学技术主要包括荧光原位杂交、末端限制性片断长度多态性分析、变性梯度凝胶电泳和构建克隆文库等技术。这些方法学的进展为更有效的获得各种油藏微生物资源、调控油藏微生物群落以提高石油采收率提供理论指导。     

城市绿地对热岛效应缓解作用研究——以保定市中心城区为例

随着中国城镇化建设的进行,城市热岛效应逐渐成为城市发展的显著问题之一,而城市绿地能有效地缓解城市热岛效应,在城市规划中,可以通过对城市绿地进行合理布局,从而减缓城市热岛效应的影响。本文采用遥感数据反演的方法,综合应用地理信息系统（GIS）和遥感（RS）技术,得到不同时期保定市中心城区地表温度和植被覆盖度的时空演变图,分析近10年的时空演变规律,并用网格法对植被覆盖度与地表温度之间的耦合关系进行研究,得出研究区内的植被覆盖度每增加10%,其地表的平均温度可减少0.9℃~1.3℃。选取研究区域内的8个城市绿地,利用缓冲区分析的方法,定量研究城市绿地面积与其降温范围之间的关系,结合保定市热岛效应集中区域及周边土地利用现状,提出增加城市绿地的可能位置,为城市绿地布局提供科学依据。     

血管成形术后原癌基因c－fos、c－myc表达的研究

ｃ－ｆｏｓ、ｃ－ｍｙｃ是两种参与细胞增殖的原癌基因。动脉血管成形术（ＰＴＡ）后的血管再狭窄,是由于血管壁平滑肌细胞增生所致。利用大白兔建立的试验动物模型,提取ＰＴＡ后不同时间间隔的动脉壁总ＲＮＡ,并用斑点杂交法分析两种原癌基因的表达情况,发现了ｃ－ｆｏｓ和ｃ－ｍｙｃ的基因分别在术后１５分钟内转录活性提高,并分别在３０分钟和第２小时达到高峰。