Flow, Salts, and Trace Elements in the Rio Grande: A Review

There are increasing concerns that water quality of the Rio Grande (or Rio Bravo) may be deteriorating mainly due to the recent expansion of the maquilas program and associated population relocation into the Border area. This review was conducted to assess the state of flow, salts, and trace elements in the Texas/Mexico portion of the Rio Grande and its tributaries. The data used included published and unpublished reports by federal, state, and some local sources. The total inflow into the Texas/Mexico portion of the Rio Grande (El Paso to Brownsville) since 1969 has averaged 4.51 billion m3 (3.65 million acre-ft) annually. Approximately 60 percent of the inflow is estimated to originate from the Mexican side. The largest flow of the Rio Grande occurs below Falcon Dam at an annual rate of 3.0 billion m3 (2.43 million acre-ft). No significant yearly trend of annual flow was detected either by a linear regression or the autocorrelation analysis for the last 21 years. The Rio Conchos, the Rio San Juan, and the Rio Salado are the major tributaries from the Mexican side and account, respectively, for 20, 10, and 10 percent of the total inflow into the Rio Grande. The Devils River and the Pecos River are two of the major tributaries from Texas and account, respectively, for 7.8 and 6.1 percent of the total inflow into the Rio Grande. The highest salinity of the Rio Grande occurs in the section from Fort Quitman to Presidio (2000 to 5000 mg L-1) and at the Pecos River (2000 to 4000 mg L-1). Salinity of the Rio Grande decreases below Presidio due to the confluence of the Rio Conchos, and it currently averages 860 mg L-1 at Amistad International Reservoir. However, salinity in this segment of the Rio Grande is increasing at an annual rate of 15 to 18 mg L-1. If these trends continue, salinity at Amistad Reservoir will exceed 1000 mg L-1 by the year 2000 or will become twice the salinity level of 1969 by 2004. Salinity below Amistad has been increasing at lower rates (9 to 10 mg L-1). Salinity of the Rio Conchos, the Rio San Juan, and the Pecos River has also been increasing at an annual rate of 8.5, 21, and 38 mg L-1, respectively. Salinity is flow-dependent at the upper reach and at Brownsville. Elsewhere, salinity is largely independent of the annual flow and has not yet attained the steady state. Sodicity of the main flow of the Rio Grande is at the range where soil particle dispersion begins (SAR of 3 to 4), and that of saline tail water below Fort Quitman and the Pecos River well exceeds the stability guideline. The sodicity of the Rio Grande water usually increases with increasing salinity, and the sodium adsorption ratio reaches close to 10. The annual salt inflow into the Rio Grande between Fort Quitman and Amistad Dam is estimated at 1.84 million tons, and that between Amistad and Falcon Dam at 1.17 million tons. Saline tail water of the Federal Middle Rio Grande project and the Pecos River contributes 48 percent of the salt load to the Rio Grande above Amistad Dam, while contributing only 21 percent to the flow. These two streams plus the Rio Salado contribute 50 percent of the salt load of the Rio Grande above Falcon Dam, while contributing 26 percent to the flow of the Rio Grande. Salts have been accumulating, especially in the segments above Amistad Dam. Existing database for trace elements is rather sketchy and is often inaccurate for some elements (e.g., Hg, Ag, and Cd). Nonetheless, most data indicate that dissolved concentrations of trace elements measured for the last 10 years at six monitoring stations along the main flow of the Rio Grande are low enough to meet the EPA primary drinking water standard, the proposed EPA criteria for livestock water supply, as well as guidelines for irrigation uses. However, dissolved concentrations of Cu, Pb, Hg and Ag often exceed the EPA chronic criteria for aquatic species protection, which are considerably more stringent than those for drinking water. Elevated levels of dissolved Hg concentrations are found in the upper reach (Elephant Butte down to Presidio) and elevated levels of dissolved Cu, Pb and V in salt marshes of the Lower Rio Grande. The concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Cr in pore water of the sediments in the upper reach appear to be many times higher than those in free water. The concentrations of many metals in fish samples collected from various locations along the Rio Grande often exceed the 85th national percentile established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There is, however, no indications of Se problems along the Rio Grande. With few exceptions, the concentrations of total recoverable metals found in the sediment samples from the Rio Grande main stream are below or at the average values established for soil samples from the western states, except for Hg and Pb. Acid digestible contents of metals in sediments appear to be poorly correlated with dissolved metals or the metal concentrations in fish. The concentration of acid-digestible trace elements (Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, Ni, Cr, and V) in soil samples from irrigated fields in the El Paso and the Juarez Valleys show some indications of Cu, Pb, and Zn accumulation. Even so, the levels of these metals are well below toxic levels for plant growth or for animal health concerns. The alkaline nature of the Rio Grande seems to help maintain relatively low dissolved concentrations of metals in water, but metals are probably accumulating in soils and sediments. Overall, this review indicates salts to be the major constraint for full utilization of water resources in the Rio Grande and that salinity is steadily increasing, especially above Amistad Dam. In these areas, salinity of the Rio Grande already exceeds the primary drinking water standard as well as the guidelines for production of high value horticultural crops. The continuing increase in salinity of Amistad Reservoir is of a special concern, as it may exceed the primary drinking water standard by as early as the year 2000 and could adversely affect high value crop production in the Lower Rio Grande. Trace element problems in the Rio Grande are sporadic and do not seem to be wide-spread at present, except from the view of aquatic species protection. There is a need to carry out a detailed salinity projection analysis, and to improve the accuracy of trace element monitoring and assessment of bioavailability indices for various ecosystems, especially in aquatic systems. Future research should also include water management options which target reuse of saline drainage water and disposal of wastewater away from the primary waterway of the Rio Grande to curtail salinization and trace element accumulation

The Medical Action Ontology: A tool for annotating and analyzing treatments and clinical management of human disease

\ua9 2023Background: Navigating the clinical literature to determine the optimal clinical management for rare diseases presents significant challenges. We introduce the Medical Action Ontology (MAxO), an ontology specifically designed to organize medical procedures, therapies, and interventions. Methods: MAxO incorporates logical structures that link MAxO terms to numerous other ontologies within the OBO Foundry. Term development involves a blend of manual and semi-automated processes. Additionally, we have generated annotations detailing diagnostic modalities for specific phenotypic abnormalities defined by the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO). We introduce a web application, POET, that facilitates MAxO annotations for specific medical actions for diseases using the Mondo Disease Ontology. Findings: MAxO encompasses 1,757 terms spanning a wide range of biomedical domains, from human anatomy and investigations to the chemical and protein entities involved in biological processes. These terms annotate phenotypic features associated with specific disease (using HPO and Mondo). Presently, there are over 16,000 MAxO diagnostic annotations that target HPO terms. Through POET, we have created 413 MAxO annotations specifying treatments for 189 rare diseases. Conclusions: MAxO offers a computational representation of treatments and other actions taken for the clinical management of patients. Its development is closely coupled to Mondo and HPO, broadening the scope of our computational modeling of diseases and phenotypic features. We invite the community to contribute disease annotations using POET (https://poet.jax.org/). MAxO is available under the open-source CC-BY 4.0 license (https://github.com/monarch-initiative/MAxO). Funding: NHGRI 1U24HG011449-01A1 and NHGRI 5RM1HG010860-04

Tumor-Derived Lactic Acid Modulates Activation and Metabolic Status of Draining Lymph Node Stroma

Communication between tumors and the stroma of tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLN) exists before metastasis arises, altering the structure and function of the TDLN niche. Transcriptional profiling of fibroblastic reticular cells (FRC), the dominant stromal population of lymph nodes, has revealed that FRCs in TDLNs are reprogrammed. However, the tumor-derived factors driving the changes in FRCs remain to be identified. Taking an unbiased approach, we have shown herein that lactic acid (LA), a metabolite released by cancer cells, was not only secreted by B16.F10 and 4T1 tumors in high amounts, but also that it was enriched in TDLNs. LA supported an upregulation of Podoplanin (Pdpn) and Thy1 and downregulation of IL7 in FRCs of TDLNs, making them akin to activated fibroblasts found at the primary tumor site. Furthermore, we found that tumor-derived LA altered mitochondrial function of FRCs in TDLNs. Thus, our results demonstrate a mechanism by which a tumor-derived metabolite connected with a low pH environment modulates the function of fibroblasts in TDLNs. How lymph node function is perturbed to support cancer metastases remains unclear. The authors show that tumor-derived LA drains to lymph nodes where it modulates the function of lymph node stromal cells, prior to metastatic colonization

radionuclides behavior in fruit plants

This paper summarizes research carried out on fruits by the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) in Piacenza, Italy. Among the fruit crops studied, strawberry, blackberry, grapevine, apple, pear, and olive, research on strawberry and blackberry was funded by the Food Standard Agency (UK). Fruit plants were grown in pots, kept under tunnels or in open field, and contaminated with 134Cs and 85Sr via leaves or via soil. Interception in strawberry plants ranges 39–17 % for 134Cs, from anthesis (April) to predormancy (November). Leaf-to-fruit translocation occurs to a greater extent for 134Cs than for 85Sr. The distribution of contamination in fruit crops is an element-specific process: 134Cs is preferentially allocated to fruits and 85Sr to leaves. However, the activity in leaves is also species-specific: fruit species show different leaf-to-fruit translocation. Results on apple, pear, and grape crops indicate that the highest transfer from leaf to fruit occurs in apple crops. Olive plants also show 134Cs translocation from leaves to trunks. Grapevines grown on mineral soil show a root uptake higher for 85Sr than for 134Cs, while strawberries grown on a peat substrate show a root uptake higher for 134Cs than for 85Sr. Rinsing directly contaminated fruits removes 85Sr (36 %) to a greater degree than 134Cs (24 %). Transfer to olive oil is low. A 57 % of 134Cs is transferred from grapes to white wine

Identification of rare sequence variation underlying heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disorder with a poor prognosis. Deleterious variation within components of the transforming growth factor-β pathway, particularly the bone morphogenetic protein type 2 receptor (BMPR2), underlies most heritable forms of PAH. To identify the missing heritability we perform whole-genome sequencing in 1038 PAH index cases and 6385 PAH-negative control subjects. Case-control analyses reveal significant overrepresentation of rare variants in ATP13A3, AQP1 and SOX17, and provide independent validation of a critical role for GDF2 in PAH. We demonstrate familial segregation of mutations in SOX17 and AQP1 with PAH. Mutations in GDF2, encoding a BMPR2 ligand, lead to reduced secretion from transfected cells. In addition, we identify pathogenic mutations in the majority of previously reported PAH genes, and provide evidence for further putative genes. Taken together these findings contribute new insights into the molecular basis of PAH and indicate unexplored pathways for therapeutic intervention

Observation of nutrient uptake at the adaxial surface of leaves of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) using Raman spectroscopy

Foliar application of nutrient fertilizers is standard practice in agricultural environments, and has been shown to increase crop yield and quality more efficiently and economically than soil-based fertilizers. The adsorption of macro- and micro-nutrients through the upper epidermis of leaves is largely species dependent; reliant upon penetration through the cuticle and stomata, and also upon the plant’s ability to translocate the nutrient. Herein we describe a method to observe nitrate (NO3−) uptake at the adaxial leaf surface to determine the efficacy of foliar fertilizers. We use Raman microspectroscopy as a sensitive approach to monitor NO3− associated vibrational modes, complemented by ion probe measurements and measurements of leaf nutrient status using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results show that NO3− uptake can be observed down to concentrations as low as 15 mM using Raman microspectroscopy over a defined surface area, and that the rate of uptake can also be quantified using this approach. These observations could also infer information regarding the transport of other ions present in nitrate salts, such as calcium (Ca), via the indirect monitoring of NO3- specific bands. We believe that Raman microspectroscopy provides a novel method for monitoring nutrient movement throughout plant tissue, and provides a potential tool for nutrient screening

First genotype-phenotype study in TBX4 syndrome : gain-of-function mutations causative for lung disease

Rationale: Despite the increased recognition of TBX4-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), genotype-phenotype associations are lacking and may provide important insights. Methods: We assembled a multi-center cohort of 137 patients harboring monoallelic TBX4 variants and assessed the pathogenicity of missense variation (n = 42) using a novel luciferase reporter assay containing T-BOX binding motifs. We sought genotype-phenotype correlations and undertook a comparative analysis with PAH patients with BMPR2 causal variants (n = 162) or no identified variants in PAH-associated genes (n = 741) genotyped via the NIHR BioResource - Rare Diseases (NBR). Results: Functional assessment of TBX4 missense variants led to the novel finding of gain-of-function effects associated with older age at diagnosis of lung disease compared to loss-of-function (p = 0.038). Variants located in the T-BOX and nuclear localization domains were associated with earlier presentation (p = 0.005) and increased incidence of interstitial lung disease (p = 0.003). Event-free survival (death or transplantation) was shorter in the T-BOX group (p = 0.022) although age had a significant effect in the hazard model (p = 0.0461). Carriers of TBX4 variants were diagnosed at a younger age (p < 0.001) and had worse baseline lung function (FEV1, FVC) (p = 0.009) compared to the BMPR2 and no identified causal variant groups. Conclusions: We demonstrated that TBX4 syndrome is not strictly the result of haploinsufficiency but can also be caused by gain-of-function. The pleiotropic effects of TBX4 in lung disease may be in part explained by the differential effect of pathogenic mutations located in critical protein domains