Railway transportation as a serious source of organic and inorganic pollution

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metal (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Hg, Fe, Co, Cr, Mo) contents were established in soil and plant samples collected in different areas of the railway junction Iława Główna, Poland. Soil and plant samples were collected in four functional parts of the junction, i.e. the loading ramp, main track within platform area, rolling stock cleaning bay and the railway siding. It was found that all the investigated areas were strongly contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The PAH contamination of the soil was the highest in the railway siding and in the platform area (59,508 and 49,670 μg kg−1, respectively). In the loading ramp and cleaning bay, the PAH concentration in soil was lower but still relatively very high (17,948 and 15,376 μg kg−1, respectively). The contamination in the railway siding exceeded the average control level up to about 80 times. In the soil of all the investigated areas, four- and five-ring PAHs prevailed. The concentrations of PAHs were determined in four dominating species of plants found at the junction. The highest concentration was found in the aerial parts of Taraxacum officinale (22,492 μg kg−1) growing in the cleaning bay. The comparison of the soil contamination with PAHs in the investigated railway junction showed a very significant increase of the PAHs level since 1995. It was found that the heavy metal contamination was also very high. Pb, Zn, Hg and Cd were established at the highest levels in the railway siding area, whereas Fe concentration was the highest in the platform area. A significant increase in mercury content was observed in the cleaning bay area. The investigations proved very significant increase of contamination with PAHs and similar heavy metals contamination in comparison with the concentration determined in the same areas 13 years ago

Heavy metal bioaccumulation by the important food plant, olea europaea L., in an ancient metalliferous polluted area of Cyprus

Aspects of the bioaccumulation of heavy metals are reviewed and possible evidence of homeostasis is highlighted. Examination and analysis of olive (Olea europaea L.) trees growing in close proximity to a copper dominated spoil tip dating from at least 2000 years BP, on the island of Cyprus, revealed both bioaccumulation and partitioning of copper, lead and zinc in various parts of the tree. A factor to quantify the degree of accumulation is illustrated and a possible seed protective mechanism suggested

A walk through tau therapeutic strategies

Tau neuronal and glial pathologies drive the clinical presentation of Alzheimer’s disease and related human tauopathies. There is a growing body of evidence indicating that pathological tau species can travel from cell to cell and spread the pathology through the brain. Throughout the last decade, physiological and pathological tau have become attractive targets for AD therapies. Several therapeutic approaches have been proposed, including the inhibition of protein kinases or protein-3-O-(N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminyl)-L-serine/threonine Nacetylglucosaminyl hydrolase, the inhibition of tau aggregation, active and passive immunotherapies, and tau silencing by antisense oligonucleotides. New tau therapeutics, across the board, have demonstrated the ability to prevent or reduce tau lesions and improve either cognitive or motor impairment in a variety of animal models developing neurofibrillary pathology. The most advanced strategy for the treatment of human tauopathies remains immunotherapy, which has already reached the clinical stage of drug development. Tau vaccines or humanised antibodies target a variety of tau species either in the intracellular or extracellular spaces. Some of them recognise the amino-terminus or carboxy-terminus, while others display binding abilities to the proline-rich area or microtubule binding domains. The main therapeutic foci in existing clinical trials are on Alzheimer’s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy and non-fluent primary progressive aphasia. Tau therapy offers a new hope for the treatment of many fatal brain disorders. First efficacy data from clinical trials will be available by the end of this decade

QSAR studies on a number of pyrrolidin-2-one antiarrhythmic arylpiperazinyls

The activity of a number of 1-[3-(4-arylpiperazin-1-yl)propyl]pyrrolidin-2-one antiarrhythmic (AA) agents was described using the quantitative structure–activity relationship model by applying it to 33 compounds. The molecular descriptors of the AA activity were obtained by quantum chemical calculations combined with molecular modeling calculations. The resulting model explains up to 91% of the variance and it was successfully validated by four tests (LOO, LMO, external test, and Y-scrambling test). Statistical analysis shows that the AA activity of the studied compounds depends mainly on the PCR and JGI4 descriptors

Antiarrhythmic and antioxidant activity of novel pyrrolidin-2-one derivatives with adrenolytic properties

A series of novel pyrrolidin-2-one derivatives (17 compounds) with adrenolytic properties was evaluated for antiarrhythmic, electrocardiographic and antioxidant activity. Some of them displayed antiarrhythmic activity in barium chloride-induced arrhythmia and in the rat coronary artery ligation-reperfusion model, and slightly decreased the heart rate, prolonged P–Q, Q–T intervals and QRS complex. Among them, compound EP-40 (1-[2-hydroxy-3-[4-[(2-hydroxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]propyl]pyrrolidin-2-one showed excellent antiarrhythmic activity. This compound had significantly antioxidant effect, too. The present results suggest that the antiarrhythmic effect of compound EP-40 is related to their adrenolytic and antioxidant properties. A biological activity prediction using the PASS software shows that compound EP-35 and EP-40 can be characterized by antiischemic activity; whereas, compound EP-68, EP-70, EP-71 could be good tachycardia agents

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in peat cores from southern Poland: distribution in stratigraphic profiles as an indicator of PAH sources

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations were measured in 44 peat samples taken from different stratigraphical layers of 12 mires located in four regions of southern Poland (the Sudeten and Tatra Mountains, Silesian Lowland and Orawa Basin). Relationships between PAH concentrations and botanical composition (genus) of the peat and its geochemical properties (contents of ash, nitrogen, organic carbon, humic acid, fulvic acid and exchangeable cations, as well as pH) were explored. The total concentration of 15 USEPA PAHs and benzo[e]pyrene was between 39 and 384 ng g-1 in all samples except those from Lasówka, a fen in the Sudeten Mountains, where an extremely high PAH concentration (3746 ng g-1) was recorded. The concentrations of PAHs apart from perylene were influenced by the location and type of mire, indicating that most of these compounds were of anthropic origin. In some samples the perylene concentration greatly exceeded the total concentration of the other 16 PAHs measured. The high concentrations of perylene in deeper peat layers may have arisen through sorption from water during peat formation, or through biogenic processes

Biological changes in lowland bog caused by fire

W opracowaniu przedstawiono zmiany torfowiska niskiego Biele Suchowolskie po pożarze w 2002 r. Torfowisko jest położone w basenie środkowej Biebrzy. Badania prowadzono w ramach projektu badawczego KBN nr 2PO4G 039 26. W pracy zamieszczono szkice, rysunki i tabele przedstawiające lokalizację oraz ważniejsze właściwości fizyczne i chemiczne utworów glebowych. Zamieszczono również przekrój stratygraficzny całego torfowiska, na którym przedstawiono hipotetyczne ukształtowanie jego powierzchni przed pożarem i po nim, zasięgi zastępczych zbiorowisk roślinnych oraz poziomy wód gruntowych w różnych okresach (w warunkach różnych stanów uwilgotnienia). Przekrój o długości 6,8 km, z czego 5,2 km przebiegało przez obszary objęte pożarem, poprowadzono w poprzek doliny. Wykonano jego niwelację i na podstawie różnic wysokości położenia terenów objętych pożarem lub nie, oszacowano głębokość wypaleń. Określono typ gleb i stopień ich przeobrażenia oraz pobrano próbki gleby, w których analizowano podstawowe właściwości fizyczno-wodne i fizykochemiczne. W rejonie badań wykonano ponadto zdjęcia florystyczne. Na terenach objętych pożarem gęstość objętościowa wierzchniej warstwy torfowiska oraz zawartość w nim azotu uległy wyraźnemu zmniejszeniu. Zwiększyła się natomiast wartość pH utworów glebowych. Pożar najsilniej rozprzestrzeniał się na terenach silnie przeobrażonych, ale nieużytkowanych rolniczo, wśród których dominowały gleby murszowo-torfowe i silnie rozłożone torfy w II i III stadium zmurszenia. W zależności od warunków siedliskowych oraz występującej roślinności wypalenia te miały różną powierzchnię i głębokość. Średnia głębokość wypalenia wzdłuż przekroju wynosiła ok. 30 cm, co stanowi ok. 5,5% miąższości złoża na pożarzysku. Na obszarach wypalonych wyróżniono 4 strefy zbiorowisk roślinnych różniących się między sobą przebiegiem sukcesji.The paper presents changes that have taken place after a fire in 2002 of the lowland bog Biele Suchowolskie situated in the middle Biebrza basin. The study was carried out within the SCSR grant No. 2PO4G 039 26. Sketches, figures and tables presenting location and important physical and chemical properties of soil formations are shown in the paper. Stratigraphic profile of the whole peatland is also given with hypothetical relief of the peatland surface before and after fire, ranges of substitute plant communities and ground water levels in various periods (at different soil moisture). A 6.8 km long transect (5.2 km of which run through burnt areas) was drawn across the valley. The transect was levelled and the depth of burning was estimated based on differences in elevation of burnt and not burnt areas. The type of soils and the degree of their transformation were determined when studying soil profiles of peat. Soil samples were taken for analyses of basic physical, water and chemical properties of soils. Moreover, floristic releves were also made in the study area. Bulk density and nitrogen content in the upper layer of burnt peatland markedly decreased. On the other hand, pH of soil formations increased. The fire spread most intensively in heavily transformed but not agriculturally used areas with dominating moorsh-peat soils and heavily decomposed peat of the II and III stage of decomposition. Depending on habitat conditions and vegetation the burnt out areas had variable shape and depth. Mean depth of burning along the transect was c. 30 cm which was c. 5.5% of the deposit's thickness. Four zones of plant communities differing in the course of succession were distinguished in burnt areas