Use of decongestants may disrupt cell signaling pathways that control Tbx gene expression, leading to hypoplastic left heart syndrome

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) collectively refers to a range of congenital heart defects, all involving some degree of left ventricular hypoplasia, or underdevelopment of the left ventricle. Additionally, HLHS often involves coarctation of the aorta, and can also include hypoplasia of the ascending aorta, as well as mitral and/or aortic valve stenosis or atresia. HLHS is extremely rare, as it has been reported to occur in only 1 in 5000 live births each year. The cause of HLHS is currently unknown, however much research is being done to discover how and why these defects occur. HLHS is known to be familially inherited in some instances and is also associated with many well-characterized genetic disorders, including Holt-Oram syndrome, Turner’s syndrome, Noonan syndrome, Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, as well as trisomies 13, 18, and 21. Additionally, an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance has been found amongst some siblings, however, no specific genes have been implicated. Incidence of HLHS also varies significantly in certain geographical regions and some studies have found a seasonal correlation in HLHS, indicating a possible environmental cause

A Biopersistence Study following Exposure to Chrysotile Asbestos Alone or in Combination with Fine Particles

In designing a study to evaluate the inhalation biopersistence of a chrysotile asbestos that was used as a component of a joint-compound, a feasibility study was initiated to evaluate the short-term biopersistence of the chrysotile alone and of the chrysotile in combination witht the sanded reformulated joint-compound. Two groups of Wistar rats were exposed to either 7RF3 chrysotile (Group 2) or to 7RF3 chrysotile combined with aerosolized sanded joint-compound (Group 3). In addition, a control group was exposed to flltered-air. The chrysotile used in the Ready Mix joint compound is rapidly removed from the lung. The chrysotile alone exposure group had a clearance half-time of fibers L > 20 μm of 2.2 days; in the chrysotile plus sanded exposure group the clearance half-time of fibers L > 20 μm was 2.8 days. However, across all size ranges there was approximately an order of magnitude decrease in the mean number of fibers remaining in the lungs of Group 3 as compared to Group 2 despite similiar aerosol exposures. Histopathological examination showed that the chrysotile exposed lungs had the same appearance as the flltered-air controls. This study uniquely illustrates that additional concurrent exposure to an aerosol of the sanded joint-compound, with large numbers of fine-particles depositing in the lungs, accelerates the recruitment of macrophages, resulting in a tenfold decrease in the number of fibers remaining in the lung. The increased number of macrophages in the chrysotile/sanded joint exposure group was confirmed histologically, with this being the only exposure-related histological finding reported

Evaluation of the giant reed (Arundo donax) in horizontal subsurface flow wetlands for the treatment of dairy processing factory wastewater

Two emergent macrophytes, Arundo donax and Phragmites australis, were established in experimental horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF), gravel-based constructed wetlands (CWs) and challenged by treated dairy processing factory wastewater with a median electrical conductivity of 8.9 mS cm&minus;1. The hydraulic loading rate was tested at 3.75 cm day&minus;1. In general, the plants grew well during the 7-month study period, with no obvious signs of salt stress. The major water quality parameters monitored (biological oxygen demand (BOD), suspended solids (SS) and total nitrogen (TN) but not total phosphorus) were generally improved after the effluent had passed through the CWs. There was no significance different in removal efficiencies between the planted beds and unplanted gravel beds (p&thinsp;&gt;&thinsp;0.007), nor was there any significant difference in removal efficiencies between the A. donax and P. australis beds for most parameters. BOD, SS and TN removal in the A. donax and P. australis CWs was 69, 95 and 26 % and 62, 97 and 26 %, respectively. Bacterial removal was observed but only to levels that would allow reuse of the effluent for use on non-food crops under Victorian state regulations. As expected, the A. donax CWs produced considerably more biomass (37&thinsp;&plusmn;&thinsp;7.2 kg wet weight) than the P. australis CWs (11&thinsp;&plusmn;&thinsp;1.4 kg wet weight). This standing crop equates to approximately 179 and 68 tonnes ha&minus;1 year&minus;1 biomass (dry weight) for A. donax and P. australis, respectively (assuming a 250-day growing season and single-cut harvest). The performance similarity of the A. donax and P. australis planted CWs indicates that either may be used in HSSF wetlands treating dairy factory wastewater, although the planting of A. donax provides additional opportunities for secondary income streams through utilisation of the biomass produced.<br /