COMBUSTION AND LEACHING BEHAVIOR OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN LIGNITE AND COMBUSTION BY-PRODUCTS FROM THE MUĞLA BASIN, SW TURKEY

The Muğla Basin is one of the most well-documented coal basins of Anatolia, SW Turkey. Previous studies mainly focused on coal geology, as well as on the environmental impacts from trace elements emitted into the atmosphere during coal combustion. However, the environmental impacts from coal utilization also include groundwater contamination from hazardous trace elements leached from exposed lignite stockpiles or ash disposal dumps. In the present study a comparative assessment of the combustion, as well as the leaching behaviour of trace elements from sixteen lignite, fly ash and bottom ash samples under various pH conditions is attempted. The samples were picked up from three regions in the Muğla Basin, namely, these of Yeniköy, Kemerköy and Yatağan. Proximate and ultimate analyses were performed on all samples. Quantitative mineralogical analysis was carried out using a Rietveld-based full pattern fitting technique. The elements Ag, As, B, Ba, Be, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Hf, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sr, U, V and Zn were grouped according to their volatility during combustion and their leachability in the various types of samples. The pH of the leaching agent little affected the leaching trends of most elements and the mode of occurrence proved to be the major factor controlling primarily combustion and to a lesser extent leaching. The elements were classified into 7 classes with increasing environmental significance with Mo, Sr and V being the most potentially hazardous trace elements in the Muğla region

ENVIRONMENTAL – HYDROGEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS ON THE CLAY DEPOSITS IN THE BROAD AREA OF MESOLOGGI – AITOLIKO LAGOONS

A hydrogeological study took place in the broader area of Mesologgi – Aitoliko lagoons (West Greece) aiming at the investigation of a) the hydrogeological conditions of the area as well as the surface and groundwater influences on the quality of the clay deposits found in the lagoons and b) the properties of the clay in order to be identified as “therapeutic peloids”. Due to their location, the clay deposits could be influenced and possibly polluted from the surface waters. The aquifer of the unconsolidated formations presents low hydraulic conductivity, while the carbonate aquifer is bounded from the foregoing aquifer and therefore the possibility of clay pollution from the groundwater is very limited. pH of the sediments showing neutral and alkaline values, limits the mobility of some pollutants. Seawater affects some of the clay samples, which present high electrical conductivity. Iron and manganese show also high concentrations, while some of trace elements such as Cd, Hg, Hf, Be, Ag present concentrations under the detection limit. Most of the organic material of the clay consists of humus and therefore they could be suitable for fangotherapy

PTBP1 Is Required for Embryonic Development before Gastrulation

Polypyrimidine-tract binding protein 1 (PTBP1) is an important cellular regulator of messenger RNAs influencing the alternative splicing profile of a cell as well as its mRNA stability, location and translation. In addition, it is diverted by some viruses to facilitate their replication. Here, we used a novel PTBP1 knockout mouse to analyse the tissue expression pattern of PTBP1 as well as the effect of its complete removal during development. We found evidence of strong PTBP1 expression in embryonic stem cells and throughout embryonic development, especially in the developing brain and spinal cord, the olfactory and auditory systems, the heart, the liver, the kidney, the brown fat and cartilage primordia. This widespread distribution points towards a role of PTBP1 during embryonic development. Homozygous offspring, identified by PCR and immunofluorescence, were able to implant but were arrested or retarded in growth. At day 7.5 of embryonic development (E7.5) the null mutants were about 5x smaller than the control littermates and the gap in body size widened with time. At mid-gestation, all homozygous embryos were resorbed/degraded. No homozygous mice were genotyped at E12 and the age of weaning. Embryos lacking PTBP1 did not display differentiation into the 3 germ layers and cavitation of the epiblast, which are hallmarks of gastrulation. In addition, homozygous mutants displayed malformed ectoplacental cones and yolk sacs, both early supportive structure of the embryo proper. We conclude that PTBP1 is not required for the earliest isovolumetric divisions and differentiation steps of the zygote up to the formation of the blastocyst. However, further post-implantation development requires PTBP1 and stalls in homozygous null animals with a phenotype of dramatically reduced size and aberration in embryonic and extra-embryonic structures

CD46 Protects against Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema develops in 15% of ex-smokers despite sustained quitting, while 10% are free of emphysema or severe lung obstruction. The cause of the incapacity of the immune system to clear the inflammation in the first group remains unclear. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We searched genes that were protecting ex-smokers without emphysema, using microarrays on portions of human lungs surgically removed; we found that loss of lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema was associated with a lower expression of CD46 and verified this finding by qRT-PCR and flow cytometry. Also, there was a significant association among decreased CD46(+) cells with decreased CD4(+)T cells, apoptosis mediator CD95 and increased CD8(+)T cells that were protecting patients without emphysema or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. CD46 not only regulates the production of T regulatory cells, which suppresses CD8(+)T cell proliferation, but also the complement cascade by degradation of C3b. These results were replicated in the murine smoking model, which showed increased C5a (produced by C3b) that suppressed IL12 mediated bias to T helper 1 cells and elastin co-precipitation with C3b, suggesting that elastin could be presented as an antigen. Thus, using ELISA from elastin peptides, we verified that 43% of the patients with severe early onset of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease tested positive for IgG to elastin in their serum compared to healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that higher expression of CD46 in the lungs of ex-smoker protects them from emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by clearing the inflammation impeding the proliferation of CD8(+) T cells and necrosis, achieved by production of T regulatory cells and degradation of C3b; restraining the complement cascade favors apoptosis over necrosis, protecting them from autoimmunity and chronic inflammation

Post-transcriptional control during chronic inflammation and cancer: a focus on AU-rich elements

A considerable number of genes that code for AU-rich mRNAs including cytokines, growth factors, transcriptional factors, and certain receptors are involved in both chronic inflammation and cancer. Overexpression of these genes is affected by aberrations or by prolonged activation of several signaling pathways. AU-rich elements (ARE) are important cis-acting short sequences in the 3′UTR that mediate recognition of an array of RNA-binding proteins and affect mRNA stability and translation. This review addresses the cellular and molecular mechanisms that are common between inflammation and cancer and that also govern ARE-mediated post-transcriptional control. The first part examines the role of the ARE-genes in inflammation and cancer and sequence characteristics of AU-rich elements. The second part addresses the common signaling pathways in inflammation and cancer that regulate the ARE-mediated pathways and how their deregulations affect ARE-gene regulation and disease outcome

Modeling the Hellenic karst catchments with the Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting model

Karst aquifers are very complex due to the presence of dual porosity. Rain–runoff hydrological models are frequently used to characterize these aquifers and assist in their management. The calibration of such models requires knowledge of many parameters, whose quality can be directly related to the quality of the simulation results. The Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting (SAC-SMA) model includes a number of physically based parameters that permit accurate simulations and predictions of the rain–runoff relationships. Due to common physical characteristics of mature karst structures, expressed by sharp recession limbs of the runoff hydrographs, the calibration of the model becomes relatively simple, and the values of the parameters range within narrow bands. The most sensitive parameters are those related to groundwater storage regulated by the zone of the epikarst. The SAC-SMA model was calibrated for data from the mountainous part of the Louros basin, north-western Greece, which is considered to be representative of such geological formations. Visual assessment of the hydrographs as statistical outcomes revealed that the SAC-SMA model simulated the timing and magnitude of the peak flow and the shape of recession curves well

First Outcomes of the Cop Method Application for The Assessment of Intrinsic Vulnerability of in the Karst System of Vouraikoscatchment, Greece

The karst formations host complex aquifer systems, yet the knowledge of which needs further study. Karst aquifers are particularly vulnerable to pollution because of their hydrological behavior. The mapping of their vulnerability is one of the most simple and effective tools to protect them. This study aims at the investigation of the vulnerability of the karst aquifers hosted in the carbonate formations of Olonos-Pindos and Gavrovo-Tripolis units. For this purpose the COP method, which is an intrinsic vulnerability mapping method, was applied to study the vulnerability of Vouraikos catchment karst system. Based on the application of this method zones were defined that illustrate five vulnerability classes, including very high, high, moderate, low and very low vulnerability classes. The coverage areas of each class are (38.83%, 25.03%, 24.61%, 11.15% and 0.37% respectively)