Loss accounting of environmental pollution within Pearl River Delta region, South China

Economic development puts pressure on environment through air, water and land degradation, which in turn brings real costs to the economy. Actual economy growth should therefore consider the environmental degradation cost resulted from economic activities. Pearl River Delta (PRD) region as a typical delta area with rapid development in China, is with great significance to understand the loses resulted from environmental pollution. This study conducts an environmental economic accounting within the PRD region from 2011 to 2015 using the environmental degradation cost accounting approach. We identified and calculated the economic, agricultural, industrial and social losses resulting from air, water and waste pollution with different valuation methods, which includes shadow price, replacement costs, market value method, etc. The results showed the total environmental degradation cost ranged from 18.1 to 19.8 billion US$ and the environmental degradation index declined slightly over the years, with significant differences among cities. It implied that the environmental condition of PRD region has been continuously improved over the years, but the capacity of environment control between cities had large differences. Cities in PRD region should therefore take measures tailored to their current situation to optimize their resource endowment and industrial structure, to overcome the conflicts between economic development and environmental protection. For cities with relatively high degradation cost, it is urgent to accelerate the efforts in improving the quality of the environment and ecosystem. For cities with lower degradation cost, it is important to take actions to keep on a sustainable and ecological efficient developing path. MAIN FINDINGS: The total environmental degradation cost of the PRD region is firstly calculated with insights on environmental management.

The effects of the Chinese medicine ZiBu PiYin recipe on the hippocampus in a rat model of diabetes-associated cognitive decline: a proteomic analysis

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Increasing evidence suggests that diabetes is associated with an enhanced risk of cognitive decline. The precise mechanisms underlying diabetes-associated cognitive decline (DACD) remain unclear. Here we investigated the molecular changes associated with DACD using a comparative proteomics study of hippocampus in a rat model of type 2 diabetes. In addition, we tested the effects of the Chinese medicine ZiBu PiYin recipe (ZBPYR) on DACD.

METHODS

The hippocampus was dissected from control, diabetic and diabetic rats treated with ZBPYR (DM/ZBPYR). Soluble proteins were separated using fluorescence-based difference gel electrophoresis. Protein spots were visualised with fluorescent dyes and spot density was compared between each pair of groups. Proteins of interest were identified using mass spectrometry. Proteins of specific interest were also tested by western blot and real-time PCR analysis.

RESULTS

We found 13 spots that were altered between control and diabetes groups, and 12 spots that were changed between diabetes and DM/ZBPYR groups. The identities of nine proteins were determined by mass spectrometry. The identified proteins were largely involved in energy metabolism, cytoskeleton regulation and oxidative stress. The protein alterations observed in the diabetes group were ameliorated to varying degrees following ZBPYR treatment.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

The protein changes identified in hippocampus from a rat model of type 2 diabetes suggest that specific cellular alterations contribute to DACD. The Chinese medicine ZBPYR was found to affect multiple targets and partially repaired the original cellular balance. This study may provide important insights into the molecular events underlying DACD and allow the identification of novel therapeutic targets.

Evaluation of mollusks as biomonitors to investigate heavy metal contaminations along the Chinese Bohai Sea

Two gastropod species (Rapana venosa and Neverita didyma) and three bivalve species (Mytilus edulis, Crassostrea talienwhanensis and Ruditapes philippinarum) were collected from eight sites along the coastline of the Chinese Bohai Sea for the investigation of heavy metal contaminations. Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were analyzed by using pressure nebulization-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer. Two certified reference materials Dogfish mussel (DORM-2) and Mussel (GBW 08571) were used to validate the methods and the obtained results proved to be in good agreement with the certified values. The results of the present study showed that Crassostrea talienwhanensis possessed a much greater ability for bioaccumulation of Cu and Zn than did the other species. Rapana venosa manifested the most bioaccumulation capacity of Cd. Among the five species, the Ruditapes philippinarum possessed the highest content of Ni. Furthermore, Cd, Cu and Zn contents in some gastropods and oysters samples exceeded the maximum permissible levels established by WHO. Due to their special bioaccumulation capacity of Cd and Ni, Rapana venosa and Ruditapes philippinarum had the potential of being used as biomonitors to control the aquatic contaminations of heavy metals.

A novel class of cell surface glycolipids of mammalian cells. Free glycosyl phosphatidylinositols

Glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI) lipids function as anchors of membrane proteins, and free GPI units serve as intermediates along the path of GPI-anchor biosynthesis. By using in vivo cell surface biotinylation, we show that free GPIs: 1) can exit the rough endoplasmic reticulum and are present on the surface of a murine EL-4 T-lymphoma and a human carcinoma cell (HeLa), 2) arrive at the cell surface in a time and temperature-dependent fashion, and 3) are built on a base-labile glycerol backbone, unlike GPI anchors of surface proteins of the same cells. The free GPIs described in this study may serve as a source of hormone-sensitive phosphoinositol glycans. The absence of free GPIs from the cell surface may also account for the growth advantage of blood cells in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

Epstein-Barr virus associated lymphoproliferative disorder with fatal involvement of the gastrointestinal tract in an infant

A case of fatal Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) associated lymphoproliferative disorder is reported in an 11 month old female. Heavy infiltrates of CD20 + and EBV EBER mRNA expressing lymphoid blasts were found to cause a series of ulcers along the entire length of the gastrointestinal tract and there was an ileal perforation. Similar infiltrates were also found in lymph nodes, spleen, and liver. Although blood phenotypic analysis performed shortly before her death revealed a severe decrease in T lymphocytes, neither the patient nor other members of her family had a history of primary or secondary immunodeficiency. EBV infection is common in children. However, such a fatal infection of the virus has not apparently been described previously in infants without pre-established immunodeficiency.

Alternative prey: a mechanism for elimination of bacterial species by protozoa

Antibiotic-resistant strains of Salmonella typhimurium and Klebsiella pneumoniae died readily after their addition to raw sewage, but they grew in sterilized sewage. The decline was not a result of abiotic stresses, and because the bacteria were able to survive in large numbers for at least 15 days in solutions containing no organic nutrients, it was not a result of competition. Toxin production, bacteriophages, and Bdellovibrio sp. did not cause the disappearance of the two bacterial species. A decline was also evident if the sewage was first passed through a 3-micron (pore size) filter or treated with cycloheximide or cycloheximide plus nystatin, but protozoa developed under these conditions. Little or no decline occurred if the sewage was filtered and treated with the eucaryotic inhibitors before the addition of S. typhimurium or K. pneumoniae, and protozoa were not detected. S. typhimurium increased in abundance if cycloheximide, streptomycin, and erythromycin or large amounts of glucose were added to sewage. Tetrahymena thermophilus did not significantly reduce the population of S. typhimurium in buffer when the density of the bacterium was about 10(4)/ml. However, when more than 10(8) Enterobacter agglomerans cells per ml were added to the buffer, T. thermophilus reduced the abundance of E. agglomerans and S. typhimurium to 10(6) and 10/ml, respectively. The density of S. typhimurium was further decreased by a second increment of E. agglomerans cells. The disappearance of S. typhimurium and K. pneumoniae from sewage thus is the result of predation by protozoa.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Fate in model ecosystems of microbial species of potential use in genetic engineering

The changes in populations of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Rhizobium meliloti, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were measured after their introduction into samples of sewage, lake water, and soil. Enumeration of small populations was possible because the strains used were resistant to antibiotics in concentrations and combinations such that few species native to these ecosystems were able to grow on agar containing the inhibitors. Fewer than 2 cells per ml of sewage or lake water and 25 cells per g of soil could be detected. A. tumefaciens and R. meliloti persisted in significant numbers with little decline, but S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, S. typhimurium, S. cerevisiae, and vegetative cells of B. subtilis failed to survive in samples of sewage and lake water. In sterile sewage, however, K. pneumoniae, B. subtilis, S. typhimurium, A. tumefaciens, and R. meliloti grew; S. cerevisiae populations were maintained at the levels used for inoculation; and S. aureus died rapidly. In sterile lake water, the population of S. aureus and K. pneumoniae and the number of vegetative cells of B. subtilis declined rapidly, R. meliloti grew, and the other species maintained significant numbers with little or a slow decline. The populations of S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, A. tumefaciens, B. subtilis, and S. typhimurium declined in soil, but the first four species grew in sterile soil. It is suggested that some species persist in environments in which they are not indigenous because they tolerate abiotic stresses, do not lose viability readily when starved, and coexist with antagonists. The species that fails to survive need only be affected by one of these factors.