Pristup procjeni zdravstvenoga rizika za ljude prilikom izgradnje gradskoga parka

A Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) was undertaken for a proposed park development “River Landing”, to be constructed along the north bank of the South Saskatchewan River in the City of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The purpose of the HHRA was to determine whether chemical constituents identified at the site, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs), and toxic and heavy metals, would adversely affect the health of construction workers and potential park users. Although more traditional remediation options were considered, the risk assessment approach was chosen since it represented the best available technology. The HHRA was undertaken using protocols and methodologies proposed and readily accepted by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME), Health Canada, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Results of the risk assessment revealed that the magnitude and distribution of the chemicals at the site were such that extensive remediation was not required, and that the site could be developed without any significant restrictions on the proposed use. The assessment revealed that potential exposure to soil constituents would not result in adverse health risk to construction workers involved in park development or future park users.Napravljena je procjena zdravstvenoga rizika za ljude (izv. human health risk assessment, HHRA) za projekt gradskoga parka “River Landing” koji bi se trebao izgraditi duž sjeverne obale rijeke South Saskatchewan u Saskatoonu, saveznoj državi Saskatchewan u Kanadi. Svrha je procjene bila utvrditi mogu li kemijski spojevi zatečeni na gradilištu, uključujući policikličke aromatske ugljikovodike, naftne ugljikovodike te toksične i teške metale, štetno utjecati na zdravlje građevinskih radnika i korisnika parka. Premda je razmotrena i uporaba tradicionalnijih metoda sanacije, izabran je ovaj pristup procjeni rizika zbog toga što rabi najbolju dostupnu tehnologiju. Procjena rizika provedena je prema protokolima i metodama koje je odmah usvojio Kanadski savjet ministara za zaštitu okoliša (izv. Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, CCME), savezni ured za zdravlje Health Canada te Agencija za zaštitu okoliša Sjedinjenih Država (izv. United States Environmental Protection Agency, US EPA). Procjena rizika pokazala je da količina i rasprostranjenost kemikalija na gradilištu nisu takvi da zahtijevaju opsežniju sanaciju, te da se lokacija može izgraditi bez značajnih ograničenja u namjeni. Procjenom je također utvrđeno da eventualno izlaganje sastavnicama tla neće dovesti do štetnih posljedica za zdravlje građevinskih radnika koji rade na parku, a niti za buduće korisnike parka

The RNA Polymerase Dictates ORF1 Requirement and Timing of LINE and SINE Retrotransposition

Mobile elements comprise close to one half of the mass of the human genome. Only LINE-1 (L1), an autonomous non-Long Terminal Repeat (LTR) retrotransposon, and its non-autonomous partners—such as the retropseudogenes, SVA, and the SINE, Alu—are currently active human retroelements. Experimental evidence shows that Alu retrotransposition depends on L1 ORF2 protein, which has led to the presumption that LINEs and SINEs share the same basic insertional mechanism. Our data demonstrate clear differences in the time required to generate insertions between marked Alu and L1 elements. In our tissue culture system, the process of L1 insertion requires close to 48 hours. In contrast to the RNA pol II-driven L1, we find that pol III transcribed elements (Alu, the rodent SINE B2, and the 7SL, U6 and hY sequences) can generate inserts within 24 hours or less. Our analyses demonstrate that the observed retrotransposition timing does not dictate insertion rate and is independent of the type of reporter cassette utilized. The additional time requirement by L1 cannot be directly attributed to differences in transcription, transcript length, splicing processes, ORF2 protein production, or the ability of functional ORF2p to reach the nucleus. However, the insertion rate of a marked Alu transcript drastically drops when driven by an RNA pol II promoter (CMV) and the retrotransposition timing parallels that of L1. Furthermore, the “pol II Alu transcript” behaves like the processed pseudogenes in our retrotransposition assay, requiring supplementation with L1 ORF1p in addition to ORF2p. We postulate that the observed differences in retrotransposition kinetics of these elements are dictated by the type of RNA polymerase generating the transcript. We present a model that highlights the critical differences of LINE and SINE transcripts that likely define their retrotransposition timing

Two Host Factors Regulate Persistence of H7a-Specific T Cells Injected in Tumor-Bearing Mice

BACKGROUND: Injection of CD8 T cells primed against immunodominant minor histocompatibility antigens (MiHA) such as H7(a) can eradicate leukemia and solid tumors. To understand why MiHA-targeted T cells have such a potent antitumor effect it is essential to evaluate their in vivo behavior. In the present work, we therefore addressed two specific questions: what is the proliferative dynamics of H7(a)-specifc T cells in tumors, and do H7(a)-specific T cells persist long-term after adoptive transfer? METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: By day 3 after adoptive transfer, we observed a selective infiltration of melanomas by anti-H7(a) T cells. Over the next five days, anti-H7(a) T cells expanded massively in the tumor but not in the spleen. Thus, by day 8 after injection, anti-H7(a) T cells in the tumor had undergone more cell divisions than those in the spleen. These data strongly suggest that anti-H7(a) T cells proliferate preferentially and extensively in the tumors. We also found that two host factors regulated long-term persistence of anti-H7(a) memory T cells: thymic function and expression of H7(a) by host cells. On day 100, anti-H7(a) memory T cells were abundant in euthymic H7(a)-negative (B10.H7(b)) mice, present in low numbers in thymectomized H7(a)-positive (B10) hosts, and undetectable in euthymic H7(a)-positive recipients. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Although in general the tumor environment is not propitious to T-cell invasion and expansion, the present work shows that this limitation may be overcome by adoptive transfer of primed CD8 T cells targeted to an immunodominant MiHA (here H7(a)). At least in some cases, prolonged persistence of adoptively transferred T cells may be valuable for prevention of late cancer relapse in adoptive hosts. Our findings therefore suggest that it may be advantageous to target MiHAs with a restricted tissue distribution in order to promote persistence of memory T cells and thereby minimize the risk of cancer recurrence

Summer warming explains widespread but not uniform greening in the Arctic tundra biome

Arctic warming can influence tundra ecosystem function with consequences for climate feedbacks, wildlife and human communities. Yet ecological change across the Arctic tundra biome remains poorly quantified due to field measurement limitations and reliance on coarse-resolution satellite data. Here, we assess decadal changes in Arctic tundra greenness using time series from the 30 m resolution Landsat satellites. From 1985 to 2016 tundra greenness increased (greening) at ~37.3% of sampling sites and decreased (browning) at ~4.7% of sampling sites. Greening occurred most often at warm sampling sites with increased summer air temperature, soil temperature, and soil moisture, while browning occurred most often at cold sampling sites that cooled and dried. Tundra greenness was positively correlated with graminoid, shrub, and ecosystem productivity measured at field sites. Our results support the hypothesis that summer warming stimulated plant productivity across much, but not all, of the Arctic tundra biome during recent decades

Gambling Problems among Community Cocaine Users

Cocaine use is highly prevalent and a major public health problem. While some studies have reported frequent comorbidity problems among cocaine users, few studies have included evaluation of gambling problems. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of gambling problems and compare those who were at-risk gamblers with non-problem gamblers in terms of mental health problems, substance use problems, and some risk factors (i.e. family antecedents, erroneous perceptions and coping strategies) among individuals who smoke or inject cocaine. METHOD: A total of 424 smoked or injected cocaine users recruited through community-based programs in Montreal, Quebec completed the questionnaire, including the Canadian Pathological Gambling Index, the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), the CAGE, and the Severity Dependence Scale (SDS). RESULTS: Of the sample, 18.4 % were considered at-risk gamblers, of whom 7.8 % had problems gambling and 10.6 % were moderate-risk gamblers. The at-risk group was more likely to have experienced a recent phobic disorder and alcohol problems than the non-problem group. A multivariate analysis showed that, compared to those who were non-problem gamblers, the at-risk ones were more likely to have lost a large sum of money when they first started gambling, believed that their luck would turn, and gambled in reaction to painful life events. These results indicate the need to include routines for screening to identify gambling problem among cocaine user