Environmental sciences : an international journal of environmental physiology and toxicology最新文献

{"title":"A simplified estimation of loss of life expectancy (LLE) using rectangular approximation method.","authors":"Nobuhisa Watanabe,&nbsp;Satoshi Mizutani,&nbsp;Hiroshi Takatsuki","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In order to evaluate the effects of short exposure period using a simple methodology, a plain rectangular approximation method to estimate loss of life expectancy (LLE) was devised and applied to evaluate cancer risk. The posed risk was expressed as the time of LLE, which is proportional to the period and concentration of exposure. This method assumes a rectangular survival curve and a flat cancer risk for all ages. In the survival curve, the survival rate of the population studied declined due to the risk such that the new survival curve became a trapezoid. The area difference between the initial rectangle and the trapezoid was converted to an LLE value. Lifetime exposure to the acceptable level concentration (ALC), which is equivalent to a 10(-5) lifetime cancer risk, gave the base LLE, which was calculated to be 210 min. Exposure to the ALC between the ages of 20 and 25 years resulted in an LLE of 18.9 min, which is 9.0% of the base risk. One minute of exposure to carcinogens at 1000 x ALC is equivalent to an LLE of 0.0075 min. Considering that the ALC of benzene is 2 microg/m(3), 1 min of exposure to 267 mg/m(3) benzene is equal to 1 min of LLE, which is as toxic as \"smoking tobacco.\"</p>","PeriodicalId":87178,"journal":{"name":"Environmental sciences : an international journal of environmental physiology and toxicology","volume":"14 1","pages":"9-14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"26679666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Medaka (Oryzias latipes) for use in evaluating developmental effects of endocrine active chemicals with special reference to gonadal intersex (testis-ova).","authors":"Hiroshi Urushitani,&nbsp;Yoshinao Katsu,&nbsp;Yasuhiko Kato,&nbsp;Osamu Tooi,&nbsp;Noriaki Santo,&nbsp;Yukio Kawashima,&nbsp;Yasuhiko Ohta,&nbsp;Yumi Kisaka,&nbsp;Anke Lange,&nbsp;Charles R Tyler,&nbsp;Rodney D Johnson,&nbsp;Taisen Iguchi","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) has been widely used for the evaluation of the toxicity of endocrine active chemicals (EACs) and other chemicals as well as for monitoring the adverse effects of effluent discharges in relation to sexual development and function. It is useful for these evaluations for many reasons including the following: 1) it has a short life cycle facilitating studies extending over long phases of development and over multigenerations, 2) it is easy to rear, 3) male and female phenotypes can easily be distinguished on the basis of secondary sex characteristics, and 4) a genetic marker (DMY) is available for identifying the true genotypic sex. Several biomarkers have been found to be useful for identifying the effects of exposure to estrogenic and androgenic chemicals in medaka and they include increased levels of hepatic vitellogenin (VTG) and testis-ova induction in males for exposure to estrogenic chemicals, and decreased levels of hepatic VTG in females and an altered morphology of dorsal and anal fins and formation of papillae for androgenic chemicals. In this paper, we present a critical analysis of the use of medaka as a test species for studies of endocrine disruption and report on the use of sex-related genetic markers and alterations in gonadal development, including the induction of testis-ova formation, for assessing the disruptive effects of EACs. In this paper, we focus on some of the more recent studies and findings.</p>","PeriodicalId":87178,"journal":{"name":"Environmental sciences : an international journal of environmental physiology and toxicology","volume":"14 5","pages":"211-33"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41008501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of estrogenic activity in Tunisian water and wastewater by E-screen assay.","authors":"Atef Limam,&nbsp;Terence P N Talorete,&nbsp;Mourad Ben Sik Ali,&nbsp;Mitsuko Kawano,&nbsp;Amel Ben Rejeb Jenhani,&nbsp;Yukuo Abe,&nbsp;Ahmed Ghrabi,&nbsp;Hiroko Isoda","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Wastewater and surface water samples from three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and three rivers in Tunisia were assayed for estrogenic activity using the E-screen assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results showed that all the Tunisian raw wastewater samples as well as the Roriche river water sample induced a strong proliferative response in human MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Tunisian raw wastewater had an average 17beta-estradiol content of 2,705.4 pg/ml, whereas that of the Roriche river was 36.7 pg/ml, which is sufficient for inducing endocrine-mediated responses in aquatic organisms. Results further showed that the Mornag WWTP, which uses the activated-sludge treatment system, has a higher estrogen removal efficiency than the stabilization ponds of the Gammart and pilot WWTPs. This study, which is the first of such studies in Tunisia, and probably the first in the North African region, underscores the need to detect and monitor the estrogenic activity of water and wastewater, given the scarcity of water in Tunisia and the detrimental impact of endocrine-disrupting compounds on the physiology of both animals and humans.</p>","PeriodicalId":87178,"journal":{"name":"Environmental sciences : an international journal of environmental physiology and toxicology","volume":"14 Suppl ","pages":"43-52"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"27359352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of serum vitellogenin, steroid hormone, gonad histopathology and bioaccumulation in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) of two rivers and a lake in Japan: potential for endocrine disruption.","authors":"Manabu Sumi,&nbsp;Yukio Kawashima,&nbsp;Tatsunori Fukumaki,&nbsp;Hiroshi Ishibashi,&nbsp;Koji Arizono,&nbsp;Taisen Iguchi,&nbsp;Makoto Shimizu","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To investigate endocrine disruption and chemical contaminant levels in the aquatic environment, serum vitellogenin (Vtg) induction, steroid hormone synthesis, gonad histopathology and nonylphenol (NP) bioaccumulation were measured in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in three sites (two rivers and one lake, in which high, medium, and low NP concentrations were detected in a previous study) in Japan from November 2001 to February 2002. The average gonadosomatic indexes (GSIs) for males were 3.9% in the Ishizu River, 5.6% in the Imba discharge channel, and 4.2% in Teganuma. No testis-ova in the gonads were found in any of the captured carp in this study. Abnormalities in testis were observed in individuals (n = 2/15) captured in the Imba discharge channel, and retraction and unusual cell proliferation were observed in the testis of the same fish. Serum Vtg was detected in 40% of the male samples captured in the Ishizu River and in 53% of the male samples captured in the Imba discharge channel. The levels of alkylphenols and bisphenol A, as well as estrogenic activity, were determined in the aquatic environment. In additional caging experiments in the Nikko River (medium NP concentration), male carp showed NP bioconcentration after the exposure to the river water.</p>","PeriodicalId":87178,"journal":{"name":"Environmental sciences : an international journal of environmental physiology and toxicology","volume":"14 1","pages":"41-54"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"26679600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of biomarkers of endocrine disrupting activity in emerging amphibian model, Silurana (Xenopus) tropicalis.","authors":"Minoru Takase,&nbsp;Naoko Mitsui,&nbsp;Tomohiro Oka,&nbsp;Osamu Tooi,&nbsp;Noriaki Santo,&nbsp;Daniel B Pickford,&nbsp;Taisen Iguchi","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Because amphibians show peculiar ecological features and interesting responses to some hormones, it is conceivable that amphibians are very useful animals for assessing the toxic effects of environmental contaminants, including endocrine disrupters. To develop methods of detecting endocrine toxicity of environmental chemicals in amphibians, we have started to assemble a biomarker tool kit for an emerging amphibian model, Silurana (Xenopus) tropicalis. We isolated full-length cDNAs encoding estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha), ERbeta, thyroid hormone receptor alpha (TRalpha), and TRbeta of S. (X.) tropicalis to develop a reporter gene assay system, as an estimation tool for environmental chemicals. The amino acid sequences inferred from the four full-length cDNAs were highly homologous to those of ERalpha, TRalpha and TRbeta of X. laevis, and ERbeta of the Japanese quail. In particular, the S. (X.) tropicalis ERalpha shared a higher similarity of amino acid sequence with X. laevis ERalpha than the previously reported S. (X.) tropicalis ERalpha, as determined by Wu et al. RT-PCR analysis showed that the two ERalpha and ERbeta transcripts were expressed relatively abundantly in the brain, liver, and gonad/kidney complex of the S. (X.) tropicalis tadpole after gonadal sex differentiation occurring at developmental stages 54-59, suggesting that they are susceptible to estrogenic substances. A similar result was obtained in the two TR transcripts, although their expression levels were lower in the gonad/kidney complex than in the other tissues. Moreover, we identified vitellogenin A (Vtg A) and Vtg B as estrogen-responsive genes expressed in the female S. (X.) tropicalis liver using macroarray analysis and RT-PCR. In addition, Rana japonica Vtg was purified from serum using anion-exchange chromatography to produce anti-Vtg antibody as a protein marker. In the future, we are going to construct reporter gene assay systems using the full-length ER and TR cDNAs, analyze histologically the differentiation of gonads and thyroid glands in the S. (X.) tropicalis tadpole exposed to estrogenic chemicals, and produce sex-reversed male S. (X.) tropicalis to obtain all-male tadpoles. Using these tools, we hope to be able to identify endocrine disrupting compounds in laboratory experiments for hazard assessment purposes, and also detect endocrine toxicity in environmental samples as part of an integrated approach to assessing the impact of environmental contaminants on wild amphibian populations in Japan and the UK.</p>","PeriodicalId":87178,"journal":{"name":"Environmental sciences : an international journal of environmental physiology and toxicology","volume":"14 6","pages":"285-96"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"27103328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analytical study of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in leachate treatment process of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sites.","authors":"Hiroshi Asakura,&nbsp;Toshihiko Matsuto,&nbsp;Nobutoshi Tanaka","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Influent and processed water were sampled at different points in the leachate treatment facilities of five municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sites. Then, the concentrations of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), namely, alkylphenols (APs), bisphenol A (BPA), phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and organotin compounds (OTs), in the treated leachate samples were determined and the behavior of the EDCs in the treatment processes was discussed. The concentrations of APs were as low as those in surface waters, and no OTs were detected (detection limit: 0.01 microg/L). Meanwhile, diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), which was the most abundant of the four substances measured as PAEs, and BPA were found in all of the influent samples. BPA was considerably degraded by aeration, except when the water temperature was low and the total organic carbon (TOC) was high. By contrast, aeration, biological treatment, and coagulation/sedimentation removed only a small amount of DEHP.</p>","PeriodicalId":87178,"journal":{"name":"Environmental sciences : an international journal of environmental physiology and toxicology","volume":"14 2","pages":"79-87"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"26790919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Three-spined stickleback: an emerging model in environmental endocrine disruption.","authors":"Ioanna Katsiadaki,&nbsp;Matthew Sanders,&nbsp;Marion Sebire,&nbsp;Masaki Nagae,&nbsp;Kiyoshi Soyano,&nbsp;Alexander P Scott","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The three-spined stickleback, a small teleost species with habitats that range from full marine to fresh water bodies across the whole Northern hemisphere, has a number of advantages for endocrine disruption research. It is the only teleost species with an unambiguous biomarker for androgens, the presence of the glue protein spiggin in the male kidney, which can be measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The androgen assay has been adopted to detect antiandrogens in two different ways and an homologous ELISA for stickleback vitellogenin is also available. DNA markers for molecular sex determination are available; thus, sex ratios can also be used for in situ biomonitoring. In addition, the critical period of sexual differentiation has been determined and the occurrence of intersex fish has been reported several times. The species full genome sequence is almost complete. All aspects of stickleback biology (ecology, evolution, behavior, physiology, endocrinology) are well documented. In European waters, the stickleback is the only fish that can bring laboratory and field studies together and allow the true impact of endocrine disruptors on fish populations to be evaluated.</p>","PeriodicalId":87178,"journal":{"name":"Environmental sciences : an international journal of environmental physiology and toxicology","volume":"14 5","pages":"263-83"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2007-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41008504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of particle size preparation of MSW incineration residues on heavy metal leaching behavior in leaching tests.","authors":"Satoshi Mizutani,&nbsp;Nobuhisa Watanabe,&nbsp;Shin-Ichi Sakai,&nbsp;Hiroshi Takatsuki","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study examines the influence of particle size preparation on leaching tests of heavy metal leaching behavior of municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration fly ash and MSW melting slag. The MSW incineration fly ash and melting slag were divided into 2-3 fractions by sieving. The metal contents of the respective fractions were determined and the representativeness of the samples was verified. Differences in the metal contents of the fractions with different particle sizes were significant for MSW incineration fly ash. Therefore, particle size preparation by sieving should not be done prior to these leaching tests. In contrast, differences in metal contents of different particle sizes of melting slag were not significant. Therefore, sample fractions with identical metal contents are obtainable by sieving. The metal leaching quantities by the Japanese Leaching Test Method No. 19 (JLT-19) depend on the chemical stability and particle size preparation of slag. The modified basicity, [(CaO+MgO+Na(2)O+K(2)O) / (SiO(2)+Al(2)O(3))], is useful as an index of the chemical stability of slag.</p>","PeriodicalId":87178,"journal":{"name":"Environmental sciences : an international journal of environmental physiology and toxicology","volume":"13 6","pages":"363-70"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"26530294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Availability of in vitro vitellogenin assay for screening of estrogenic and anti-estrogenic activities of environmental chemicals.","authors":"Taisen Iguchi,&nbsp;Fumi Irie,&nbsp;Hiroshi Urushitani,&nbsp;Osamu Tooi,&nbsp;Yukio Kawashima,&nbsp;Mike Roberts,&nbsp;Leif Norrgren,&nbsp;Thomas Hutchinson","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Vitellogenin (VTG) protein, VTG mRNA, other egg yolk proteins, vitelline envelope proteins and their mRNAs are produced in the liver of oviparous species by stimulation of endogenous estrogen and exogenous estrogenic chemicals. The VTG assay based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been widely used for many fish species to screen estrogenic and anti-estrogenic activities of chemicals and sewage effluents using immature fish and/or male fish. In order to reduce the number of fish for screening of estrogenicity and anti-estrogenicity of chemicals, primary cultured fish hepatocytes can be used. In fact, primary cultured hepatocytes have been successfully used for the detection of estrogenic and anti-estrogenic activities of environmental chemicals in selected OECD fish species, e.g., medaka (Oryzias latipes) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchys mykiss) together with other fish species such as Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.), Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri), tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), carp (Cyprinus carpio), bream (Abramis brama), Carassius auratus, silver eel (Anguilla anguilla L.), and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctanus). In terms of hepatocyte assays relating to other taxa, these include frogs such as Xenopus laevis and the common green frog (Rana esculenta), chickens (Gallus domesticus) and herring gulls (Larus argentatus). VTG mRNA measurement by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction has also been successfully applied in the primary cultured hepatocytes of various species.</p>","PeriodicalId":87178,"journal":{"name":"Environmental sciences : an international journal of environmental physiology and toxicology","volume":"13 3","pages":"161-83"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"26176423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of aspect ratio on chemical reactions on microchip.","authors":"Takahiro Shimizu,&nbsp;Hiroyuki Masaki,&nbsp;Takashi Korenaga","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parallel two-phase laminar flow, which is formed when two solutions flow in microchannels, has been developed and has advanced unique research in the area of microchip analysis. In two-phase laminar flow, channel size has a significant effect on the efficiency of chemical reactions. However, the sizes of microchannels vary greatly in many studies. In this paper, we report on the effect of microchannel size on chemical reactions on a microchip. Aspect ratio is defined as the ratio of depth to width of a microchannel. Five microchips with different aspect ratios (from 0.50 to 2.00) were fabricated by mechanical machining. The reaction of nitrous acid and Saltzman reagent was carried out on these microchips and the absorbance was measured on-line in a capillary tube, which was attached to the outlet on the microchip. The results showed that the color reaction occurred more efficiently as the aspect ratio increased. This result is expected to be useful when determining the size of microchannels.</p>","PeriodicalId":87178,"journal":{"name":"Environmental sciences : an international journal of environmental physiology and toxicology","volume":"13 5","pages":"263-9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"26356385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}