Soil zinc deficiency and child stunting: Evidence from Nepal

We examine the negative child health impacts of soil zinc (Zn) deficiency in Nepal. Soil Zn deficiency limits both crop yields and the Zn concentration in food crops, leading many to speculate that it underlies human Zn deficiency and child stunting, globally and particularly in South Asia. We find strong evidence that soil Zn deficiency does have a causal impact on child stunting in Nepal’s Tarai region, the breadbasket of the country. Using causal bounds, we find that a 1 part per million increase in plant-available soil Zn – achievable with application of Zn-enriched fertilizer – decreases child stunting by between 1 and 7.5 percentage points. Multiple statistical sensitivity tests indicate that this relationship is unlikely to be manufactured by omitted, relevant variables.     

Effects of of habitats and pesticides on aerobic capacity and survival of soil fauna

Faunal health is largely dependent on their soil environment and available litter quality. So the effects of different soil habitats and pesticides on citrate synthase (CS) activity of soil fauna and its population were studied. Methods The soil animals were collected from different pedoecosystems for habitat study. Whereas Vigna radiata based system was selected for pesticidal observations. The field was divided into five equal plots for control and treatment of γ-BHC, quinalphos, carbaryl and cypermethrin. Soil fauna was collected by quadrat method and extracted by Tullgren funnel. Individuals of a species having similar sizes were collected for the estimation of CS activity. They were homogenized and fractions were obtained by differential centrifugation. The activity of CS was assayed spectrophotometrically. Results Citrate synthase (CS) activity of beetle (Rasphytus fregi), woodlouse (PorceUio laevis) and centipede (Scolopendra morsitans) varied significantly with respect to changes in different soil habitats. Though the CS activity of R. fregi, P. laevis, and S. morsitans differed among themselves but the highest activity of CS in these animals was in V. radiata and lowest in A. nilotica based pedoecosystem. The aerobic capacity of centipede was maximum followed by woodlouse and beetle. The treatment of γ-BHC, quinalphos, carbaryl and cypermethrin significantly reduced the CS activity of these animals. γ-BHC showed maximum reduction in CS activity indicating highly toxic effect of organochlorine on aerobic metabolism of soil fauna. However, minimum reduction was obseryed in response to carbaryl (in beetle) or cypermethrin (in woodlouse/centipede) leading to impairment of aerobic capacity. The differences in pesticide effects might be assigned to the differences in chemical nature of pesticides and their interactions with below-ground fauna. Treatment ofγ-BHC and quinalphos reduced the population of Acari, Coleoptera, Collembola, other arthropods as well as total soil fauna. Acari was least affected by γ-BHC and maximally affected (72%) in response to quinalphos. The effect of γ-BHC was fairly similar on Coleoptera, Collembola, other arthropod and total soil fauna suggesting almost similar sensitivity to this pesticide. Likewise, quinalphos was similarly effective on Collemobola and other soil arthropods. Application of carbaryl decreased Acari and Coleoptera population but increased Collembola, other arthropods and total faunal populations. However, application of cypermethrin significantly reduced the population of Acari, Coleoptera, Collembola and total soil fauna and increased the population of other soil arthropods. In both the cases, acarine population was least affected. Conclusion The observations show the habitat-specific variation in aerobic capacity of soil fauna. However, pesticide-dependent loss in population might be due to impairment of aerobic capacity of soil inhabiting animals in desert.     

丁苯肽软胶囊对大鼠急性脑缺血再灌注损伤脑组织含水及含钙量的影响

目的 研究丁苯肽软胶囊对大鼠急性脑缺血再灌注损伤脑组织含水量及含钙量的影响.方法 选取健康SD大鼠60只,按照随机数字表随机分为6组,采用4血管法造脑缺血再灌注损伤模型,给药组分别给予不同剂量的丁苯肽软胶囊和复方丹参注射液,观察丁苯肽软胶囊对大鼠急性脑缺血再灌注损伤脑组织含水量及含钙量的影响.结果 丁苯肽软胶囊高剂量组可降低大鼠急性脑缺血再灌注损伤脑组织含水量（75.60%）及含钙量（114.53 pg/g）;中剂量组降低大鼠急性脑缺血再灌注损伤脑组织含水量（80.03%）,降低大鼠急性脑缺血再灌注损伤脑组织含钙量（132.33 pg/g）;低剂量组对大鼠急性脑缺血再灌注损伤脑组织含水量（73.93）及含钙量（106.35 pg/g）有降低趋势,但差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）.结论 丁苯肽软胶囊能降低大鼠急性脑缺血再灌注损伤脑组织含水量及含钙量,具有脑保护作用.     

Applicability of the one-step DVS method for the determination of amorphous amounts for further different hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs

In a former publication the authors showed that low amounts of amorphous content (LOQ of 0.5%) in a hydrophobic model API (Ciclesonide) can be measured with an individually adjusted one-step dynamic organic vapor sorption (DVS). In this investigation the applicability is tested on various APIs which differ in lipophilicity (poor water solubility) and hygroscopicity (absorption of water).The vapor sorption method proved to be applicable in almost all cases. Moisture sorption isotherms were determined for all five investigated crystalline and amorphous APIs. However, it was necessary to select the parameters individually for each API. The used solvents (water, methanol, isopropanol and methylene chloride) and the humidity-levels (0.05 p/p₀ until 0.5 p/p₀) were chosen carefully because otherwise the amorphous amounts switch to their crystalline counterparts and are not detectable. The production of fully amorphous samples (absence of crystalline material measured by DSC, mDSC and XRPD) was optimized over several trials. As successfully methods proved ball-milling, freeze-drying, spray-drying and/or quench cooling. In the next step these fully amorphous amounts were blended with crystalline starting material to calibration curves (Turbula blender, influence of electrostatic charge to homogeneity) for the calculation of amorphous content.In summary, the following presented methods were used to determine and quantify low amorphous amounts (between 1.5% and 17.0%) in jet-milled powders (grinding pressure of 8 bar, 1–3 grinding cycles), respectively.     

Porosity distribution by computed tomography and its importance to characterize soil clod samples

Gamma-ray computed tomography (CT) was employed to study the soil quality of clod samples used to investigate porosity (ϕ). Samples with volumes varying from 50 to 100 cm³ were collected from the soil surface. 2D CT images were obtained with millimetric resolution. Porosity distribution analyses were carried out to infer the soil clod structure. Results obtained provided a new insight on the variability of internal clod structure due to the large amount of data analyzed, information that is not provided by traditional methods used in physics applied to soil.     

Criteria of radon risk of territories and methods for their determination

The paper analyzes the values used in the assessment of radon potential of territories. It was shown that the most reliable criterion in the assessment of radon risk of territories can be the value of radon activity concentration fixed at large depths. The authors proposed a simple method to assess this value and radon flux density from the soil surface, based on the measurement of radon activity concentration in soil gas at two twice differing depths and the diffusion model of transport.     

用彗星实验和微核实验反映土壤有机污染物的联合毒性

目的 利用彗星实验和微核实验反映土壤有机污染物的联合毒性.方法 选取某污灌农田土壤为研究对象(下称“污灌区”),地下水灌溉农田土壤为对照(下称“对照区”),采用超声振荡法提取土壤中的有机污染物,用气相色谱质谱联用仪(GC/MS)对土壤中的有机物进行分析;采用灌胃的方式对小鼠进行染毒,用单细胞凝胶电泳实验和徽核试验检测土壤有机提取物的联合毒性.结果 污灌区土壤检出的主要污染物为烷烃类、苯系物及多环芳烃,有机污染物的种类及含量高出对照区数倍;与试剂对照组和对照区相同染毒剂量组比较,污灌区各组拖尾率、微核率均增高(P＜0.05).结论 该污灌区土壤已受到一定程度的有机物污染,且污染物对小鼠具有一定的毒性.     

蔬菜、瓜果、土壤等携带蛔虫卵情况的调查

本文报告了10种蔬菜、12种瓜果及6类土壤等携带蛔虫卵的情况。蛔虫卵的检出率蔬菜为12.6％,瓜果5.5％,土壤28.4％,鞋底土为6％。小学生的手在洗手前检查能查到蛔虫卵者占10％,洗手后未检出虫卵。