渤海湾海水离子的浓度及其对海洋的影响

探讨了测量渤海湾近海海域海水中总铅、总铜、总镉金属粒子含量的方法。最终采用石墨炉原子分光光度法快速准确地测量海水中金属离子的浓度,并探究铅、镉、铜在海洋中的作用及在海洋中的影响。     

扬州古运河三湾段沉积物中重金属潜在生态风险评价及形态变化特征

扬州古运河是京杭大运河最古老的一段,为了解沉积物中重金属污染状况,采用Hakanson潜在生态风险评价扬州古运河三湾段沉积物中重金属Cr、Ni、Cu、Zn、Cd和Pb的风险水平,并对形态分布特征进行了研究。结果表明:扬州古运河六种重金属的含量均高于背景值,其中Cd含量为其背景值的13.15倍。沉积物中重金属的累积潜在生态风险指数RI高达456.55,沉积物的总体潜在生态风险等级为强。沉积物中Pb的主要赋存形态主要以铁锰氧化态存在,而Zn和Cd主要以酸可溶态形式存在,说明这三种重金属的潜在生态风险水平较高。     

Sorption of Zn(II) and Pb(II) ions in the presence of the biodegradable complexing agent of a new generation

The macroporous chelating ion exchangers containing different functional groups i.e. Purolite S-920, Purolite S-930 and Lewatit TP-208 have been used in the sorption process of Zn(II) and Pb(II) ions. The effect of the presence of biodegradable, environmentally friendly aminopolycarboxylate chelating agent, trisodium salt of methylglycinediacetic acid (MGDA) on its sorption capacity was also examined. The investigations were carried out by the static method. Besides the effect of initial concentration of Zn(II) and Pb(II) and the complexing agent the research concerns the influence of solution pH, phase contact time on effectiveness of sorption. The equilibrium and kinetics of Zn(II)–MGDA and Pb(II)–MGDA complexes sorption were obtained and fitted using the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) models as well as the pseudo first and pseudo second order kinetic models. The intraparticle diffusion model was also used. The results showed that the sorption processes of Zn(II) and Pb(II) complexes with MGDA on Purolite S-920, Purolite S-930 and Lewatit TP-208 followed well the pseudo second order kinetics.     

Distribution,Sources, and Risk of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Core Sediments from Baiyangdian Lake,China

The burial characteristics and risks of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in core sediments from Baiyangdian Lake were investigated through gas-chromato graphy/mass spectrometry. The total concentrations of the 16 PAHs ranged from 39.48–1877.75 ng g^?1. The low-molecular-weight PAHs (two- to three-ring PAHs) were the dominant species, contributing 40.10–92.18% to the total PAHs, with a mean of 71.01%. Based on the observed molecular indices and on principal component analysis, the PAHs inputs were initially dominated by biomass and coal combustion, and atmospheric deposition and surface runoff could be the major transport pathways. The contaminated source characteristics, hydrodynamic condition, and sediment textural composition are the key factors affecting the distribution and source of PAHs. By conducting a risk quotient analysis between specific PAH concentrations and their corresponding sediment quality values, the top layer sediments were found to have a potential biological impact and relatively high toxicity. However, such impact should have no impairment. The toxic potency of PAHs in Baiyangdian Lake could be described by using the toxic equivalent of benzo[a]pyrene.     

Effects of the Toxic Metals Arsenite and Cadmium on α-Synuclein Aggregation In Vitro and in Cells

Exposure to heavy metals, including arsenic and cadmium, is associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. However, the mechanistic details of how these metals contribute to pathogenesis are not well understood. To search for underlying mechanisms involving α-synuclein, the protein that forms amyloids in Parkinson’s disease, we here assessed the effects of arsenic and cadmium on α-synuclein amyloid formation in vitro and in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) cells. Atomic force microscopy experiments with acetylated human α-synuclein demonstrated that amyloid fibers formed in the presence of the metals have a different fiber pitch compared to those formed without metals. Both metal ions become incorporated into the amyloid fibers, and cadmium also accelerated the nucleation step in the amyloid formation process, likely via binding to intermediate species. Fluorescence microscopy analyses of yeast cells expressing fluorescently tagged α-synuclein demonstrated that arsenic and cadmium affected the distribution of α-synuclein aggregates within the cells, reduced aggregate clearance, and aggravated α-synuclein toxicity. Taken together, our in vitro data demonstrate that interactions between these two metals and α-synuclein modulate the resulting amyloid fiber structures, which, in turn, might relate to the observed effects in the yeast cells. Whilst our study advances our understanding of how these metals affect α-synuclein biophysics, further in vitro characterization as well as human cell studies are desired to fully appreciate their role in the progression of Parkinson’s disease.