Fractionation of lead in soil by isotopic dilution and sequential extraction

‘Reactivity’ or ‘lability’ of lead is difficult to measure using traditional methods. We investigated the use of isotopic dilution with 204Pb to determine metal reactivity in four soils historically contaminated with contrasting sources of Pb, including (i) petrol-derived Pb, (ii) Pb/Zn minespoil, (iii) long-term sewage sludge application and (iv) 19th century urban waste disposal; total soil Pb concentrations ranged from 217 to 13 600 mg kg–1. A post-spike equilibration period of 3 days and suspension in 5.0 × 10–4 M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid provided reasonably robust conditions for measuring isotopically exchangeable Pb. However, in acidic organic soils a dilute Ca(NO3)2 electrolyte may be preferable to avoid mobilisation of ‘non-labile’ Pb. Results showed that the reactive pool of soil Pb can be a large proportion of the total soil lead content but varies with the original Pb source. A comparison of isotopic exchangeability with the results of a sequential extraction procedure showed that (isotopically) ‘non-labile’ Pb may be broadly equated with ‘residual’ Pb in organic soils. However, in mineral soils the ‘carbonate’ and ‘oxide-bound’ Pb fractions included non-labile forms of Pb. The individual isotopic signatures of labile and non-labile Pb pools suggested that, despite prolonged contact with soil, differences between the lability of the original contaminant and the native soil Pb may remain

Yolk sac tumor of the ovary

Background: A 10-year-old girl presented to the emergency department with acute abdominal pain in the right fossa. There was no known previous medical history. She had a fever up to 38,4°C without any complaints of nausea, vomiting or diarrhea

Botulinum toxin type A in the prophylactic treatment of chronic tension-type headache: A multicentre, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study

We studied the safety and efficacy of 0 U, 50 U, 100 U, 150 U (five sites), 86 Usub and 100 Usub (three sites) botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA; BOTOX); Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA, USA) for the prophylaxis of chronic tension-type headache (CTTH). Three hundred patients (62.3% female; mean age 42.6 years) enrolled. For the primary endpoint, the mean change from baseline in the number of TTH-free days per month, there was no statistically significant difference between placebo and four BoNTA groups, but a significant difference favouring placebo vs. BoNTA 150 was observed (4.5 vs. 2.8 tension headache-free days/month; P = 0.007). All treatment groups improved at day 60. Although efficacy was not demonstrated for the primary endpoint, at day 90, more patients in three BoNTA groups had \u3eor=50% decrease in tension headache days than did placebo (

Improving the efficacy of selenium fertilizers for wheat biofortification

© 2019, The Author(s). Increasing the selenium (Se) concentration of staple crops by fertilization is a valuable pathway to increase Se in the human diet, thus preventing Se deficiency. A pot trial was set up to investigate whether the application of 3.33 µg kg−1 of Se (equivalent to 10 g ha−1) to wheat can be made more efficient by its co-application with macronutrient carriers, either to the soil or to the leaves. In the soil, Se was applied either on its own (selenate only) or as a granular, Se-enriched macronutrient fertilizer supplying nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium or sulfur. Selenium was also applied to leaves at head emergence with, or without, 2% w/v N fertilizers. With grain Se concentrations varying from 0.13–0.84 mg kg−1, soil application of selenate-only was 2–15 times more effective than granular Se-enriched macronutrient fertilizers in raising grain Se concentrations. Co-application of foliar Se with an N carrier doubled the Se concentration in wheat grains compared to the application of foliar Se on its own, the majority of which was in the highly bioavailable selenomethionine fraction. Results from this study demonstrate the possibility of improving the efficacy of Se fertilizers, which could enrich crops with Se without additional application costs in the field

Reconstructing Regional Trajectories: the Provenance and Distribution of Archaic to Hellenistic Ceramics in Central Pisidia (South-west Turkey)

Material Culture Studie

Assessable Learning Outcomes for the EU Education and Training Framework core and Function A specific modules: Report of an ETPLAS Working Group

Article 23(2) of the European Union Directive 2010/63/EU, which regulates welfare provisions for animals used for scientific purposes, requires that staff involved in the care and use of animals for scientific purposes be adequately educated and trained before they undertake any such work. However, the nature and extent of such training is not stipulated in the Directive. To facilitate Member States in fulfilling their education and training obligations, the European Commission developed a common Education and Training Framework, which was endorsed by the Member States Competent Authorities. An Education & Training Platform for Laboratory Animal Science (ETPLAS) Working Group was recently established to develop further guidance to the Learning Outcomes in the Framework, with the objective to clarify the levels of knowledge and understanding required by trainees, and to provide the criteria by which these Learning Outcomes should be assessed. Using the Framework document as a starting point, assessment criteria for the Learning Outcomes of the modules required for Function A persons (carrying out procedures on animals) for rats, mice and zebrafish were created with sufficient detail to enable trainees, providers and assessors to appreciate the level of knowledge, understanding and skills required to pass each module. Adoption and utilization of this document by training providers and accrediting or approving bodies will harmonize introductory education and training for those involved in the care and use of animals for scientific purposes within the European Union, promote mutual recognition of training within and between Member States and therefore free movement of personnel

Graphene oxide a new carrier for slow release of plant micronutrients

The environmental problems and low efficiency associated with conventional fertilizers provides an impetus to develop advanced fertilizers with slower release and better performances. Here we report of development of a new carrier platform based on graphene oxide (GO) sheets that can provide a high loading of plant micronutrients with controllable slow release. To prove this concept two micronutrients zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) were used to load on GO sheets and hence formulate GO-based micronutrients fertilizer. The chemical composition and successful loading of both nutrients on GO sheets were confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The prepared Zn-graphene oxide (Zn-GO) and Cu-graphene oxide (Cu-GO) fertilizers showed a biphasic dissolution behaviour compared to commercial zinc sulphate and copper sulphate fertilizer granules, displaying desirable fast- and slow-release micronutrient release. A visualization method and chemical analysis were used to assess the release and diffusion of Cu and Zn in soil from GO-based fertilizers compared with commercial soluble fertilizers to demonstrate the advantages of GO carriers and show their capability to be used as generic platform for macro- and micro-nutrients delivery. A pot trial demonstrated that Zn and Cu uptake by wheat was higher when using GO-based fertilizers compared to standard zinc or copper salts. This is a first report on the agronomic performance of GO-based slow-release fertilizer.Shervin Kabiri, Fien Degryse, Diana N. H. Tran, Rodrigo C. da Silva, Mike J. McLaughlin and Dusan Losi

Mutant JAK3 phosphoproteomic profiling predicts synergism between JAK3 inhibitors and MEK/BCL2 inhibitors for the treatment of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (vol 32, pg 788, 2018)

Following the publication of this article the authors noted that data describing precisely where phosphorylation sites in proteins modulated following JAK1 or JAK3 inhibition in mutant T-ALL samples was not clearly annotated. Therefore an additional sheet has been added to Supplementary Table 2

Mutant JAK3 phosphoproteomic profiling predicts synergism between JAK3 inhibitors and MEK/BCL2 inhibitors for the treatment of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Mutations in the interleukin-7 receptor (IL7R) or the Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) kinase occur frequently in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and both are able to drive cellular transformation and the development of T-ALL in mouse models. However, the signal transduction pathways downstream of JAK3 mutations remain poorly characterized. Here we describe the phosphoproteome downstream of the JAK3(L857Q)/(M511I) activating mutations in transformed Ba/F3 lymphocyte cells. Signaling pathways regulated by JAK3 mutants were assessed following acute inhibition of JAK1/JAK3 using the JAK kinase inhibitors ruxolitinib or tofacitinib. Comprehensive network interrogation using the phosphoproteomic signatures identified significant changes in pathways regulating cell cycle, translation initiation, mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling, RNA metabolism, as well as epigenetic and apoptotic processes. Key regulatory proteins within pathways that showed altered phosphorylation following JAK inhibition were targeted using selumetinib and trametinib (MEK), buparlisib (PI3K) and ABT-199 (BCL2), and found to be synergistic in combination with JAK kinase inhibitors in primary T-ALL samples harboring JAK3 mutations. These data provide the first detailed molecular characterization of the downstream signaling pathways regulated by JAK3 mutations and provide further understanding into the oncogenic processes regulated by constitutive kinase activation aiding in the development of improved combinatorial treatment regimens

Bioavailability in soils

The consumption of locally-produced vegetables by humans may be an important exposure pathway for soil contaminants in many urban settings and for agricultural land use. Hence, prediction of metal and metalloid uptake by vegetables from contaminated soils is an important part of the Human Health Risk Assessment procedure. The behaviour of metals (cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, lead and zinc) and metalloids (arsenic, boron and selenium) in contaminated soils depends to a large extent on the intrinsic charge, valence and speciation of the contaminant ion, and soil properties such as pH, redox status and contents of clay and/or organic matter. However, chemistry and behaviour of the contaminant in soil alone cannot predict soil-to-plant transfer. Root uptake, root selectivity, ion interactions, rhizosphere processes, leaf uptake from the atmosphere, and plant partitioning are important processes that ultimately govern the accumulation ofmetals and metalloids in edible vegetable tissues. Mechanistic models to accurately describe all these processes have not yet been developed, let alone validated under field conditions. Hence, to estimate risks by vegetable consumption, empirical models have been used to correlate concentrations of metals and metalloids in contaminated soils, soil physico-chemical characteristics, and concentrations of elements in vegetable tissues. These models should only be used within the bounds of their calibration, and often need to be re-calibrated or validated using local soil and environmental conditions on a regional or site-specific basis.Mike J. McLaughlin, Erik Smolders, Fien Degryse, and Rene Rietr