Geochemistry, mineralogy, solid-phase fractionation and oral bioaccessibility of lead in urban soils of Lisbon

An urban survey of Lisbon, the largest city in Portugal, was carried out to investigate its environmental burden, emphasizing metallic elements and their public health impacts. This paper examines the geochemistry of lead (Pb) and its influence on human health data. A total of 51 soil samples were collected from urban recreational areas used by children to play outdoors. The semi-quantitative analysis of Pb was carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after an acid digestion. X-ray diffraction was used to characterize the soil mineralogy. The solid-phase distribution of Pb in the urban soils was investigated on a subset of 7 soils, out of a total of 51 samples, using a non-specific sequential extraction method coupled with chemometric analysis. Oral bioaccessibility measurements were obtained using the Unified BARGE Method developed by the Bioaccessibility Research Group of Europe. The objectives of the study are as follows: (1) investigation of Pb solid-phase distribution; (2) interpretation of Pb oral bioaccessibility measurements; (3) integration of metal geochemistry with human health data; and (4) understanding the influence of geochemistry and mineralogy on oral bioaccessibility. The results show that the bioaccessible fraction of Pb is lower when major metal fractions are associated with less soluble soil phases such as Fe oxyhydroxides, and more increased when the metal is in the highly soluble carbonate phase. However, there is some evidence that the proportion of carbonates in the soil environment is also a key control over the oral bioaccessibility of Pb, irrespective of its solid-phase fractionation

A local human Vδ1 T cell population is associated with survival in nonsmall-cell lung cancer

Murine tissues harbor signature γδ T cell compartments with profound yet differential impacts on carcinogenesis. Conversely, human tissue-resident γδ cells are less well defined. In the present study, we show that human lung tissues harbor a resident Vδ1 γδ T cell population. Moreover, we demonstrate that Vδ1 T cells with resident memory and effector memory phenotypes were enriched in lung tumors compared with nontumor lung tissues. Intratumoral Vδ1 T cells possessed stem-like features and were skewed toward cytolysis and helper T cell type 1 function, akin to intratumoral natural killer and CD8+ T cells considered beneficial to the patient. Indeed, ongoing remission post-surgery was significantly associated with the numbers of CD45RA−CD27− effector memory Vδ1 T cells in tumors and, most strikingly, with the numbers of CD103+ tissue-resident Vδ1 T cells in nonmalignant lung tissues. Our findings offer basic insights into human body surface immunology that collectively support integrating Vδ1 T cell biology into immunotherapeutic strategies for nonsmall cell lung cancer

Displaying G-BASE geochemical sample information in Google Earth

This report describes the Google Earth geochemical sample information delivery Project in which basic information about G-BASE geochemical samples is displayed in Google Earth. Information downloaded from the BGS corporate Geochemistry Database is converted into standardised data files, classified by country (England, Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland) and sample type (topsoil, deep soil, stream sediment and stream water). These files are then input into an application used to convert the data into Google Earth data files (KML format or KMZ for large files). The application to convert the information into KML files is written in the open source R script which is now widely use in geochemical applications. Some other similar data sets for the UK (e.g. from Tellus and FOREGS projects) have also been included in this work to demonstrate the applicability of the R script programs to other non G-BASE data sets. A number of interpolated geochemical images generated from G-BASE data have also been included as a way of demonstrating how the G-BASE geochemical baseline information can be displayed in Google Earth. The KML files for creating and displaying the interpolated images are also generated using R script though further development work is required on the code used to generate the gridded images. The KML/KMZ files are accessed through web pages, the initial landing page being a map of the UK from which the user selects the country of interest. This leads to country pages on which tables of available data sets (and interpolated images for England stream sediments) are linked to the KML/KMZ files. Clicking on the hyperlink starts up Google Earth, adding to the “Temporary Places” directory and displaying the location of sampling sites against an appropriately zoomed and centred satellite image. Placemark labels at each site show the information available for the associated sample along with hyperlinks to further information. Comprehensive documentation about G-BASE and other sample types is available from information links on the web pages. The Google Earth is easy to use, available worldwide, and is increasingly being used to display spatial information about environmental data. Displaying information about the BGS G-BASE geochemical data holdings in Google Earth will make the data more accessible to the general public. It is also hoped that this may serve as an example project for how NERC can disseminate information on its environmental data holdings. Furthermore, many countries have similar geochemical data, for example that collected during the FOREGS and GEMAS projects in Europe. If they can be encouraged to generate KML files of their geochemical data holding from the freely available R scripts generated by this project, then a more global landing page to geochemical data information can be created

A serological survey of leptospiral antibodies in dogs in New Zealand

AIM: To investigate the prevalence of titres to four endemic leptospiral serovars in dog sera from the lower half of the North Island, and the South Island of New Zealand submitted to diagnostic laboratories, and to explore the association between the prevalence of seropositive samples to leptospirosis and breed group, age group and sex. METHODS: Serum samples from 655 dogs residing in the central and lower North Island and from the South Island of New Zealand were sourced from the Massey University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and from submissions to New Zealand Veterinary Pathology in 2005. They were screened by the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) against Leptospira interrogans serovars Copenhageni and Pomona and L. borgpetersenii serovars Hardjo and Ballum. Titres greater or equal to 96 were considered positive. Variables investigated for their association with the prevalence of seropositive samples to leptospirosis included serovar, breed, North vs. South Island, age and sex. RESULTS: Positive MAT titres to Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni were found in 10.3 % of dogs (95% CI=8.1-12.9), and were more common than positive titres to other leptospiral serovars. Small breeds did not have a lower prevalence of Copenhageni titres than other breeds. Positive titres to Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo were associated with breeds of dogs used as farm working dogs. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of positive leptospiral titres between dogs from the North or South Islands. Dogs greater than 12 years of age were less likely to have positive titres to Leptospira than younger dogs. No association was found between positive titres and sex. CONCLUSIONS: Breeds of dogs used as farm working were at greater risk of exposure to Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo. Small breeds did not have a lower risk of seropositivity to Copenhageni than farm working breeds. Further study should be undertaken to confirm the prevalence of positive titres to leptospirosis in farm dogs and dogs resident in the South Island. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The risk of dogs being exposed to Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni, and requirement for vaccination against serovar Copenhageni, cannot be determined by geographical location or breed group. Vaccination against Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo is likely to be beneficial in working dogs