Persistent Organochlorine Contaminants and Enantiomeric Signatures of Chiral Pollutants in Ringed Seals (Phoca hispida) Collected on the East and West Side of the Northwater Polynya, Canadian Arctic

To examine the influence of diet and age on organochlorine contaminant (OC) concentrations in two closely related ringed seal (Phoca hispida) populations enantiomeric fractions (EFs) of chiral contaminants and stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) and carbon (δ¹³C) were measured along with OCs in ringed seals collected from the east and west side of the Northwater Polynya. Seals from these two locations were feeding at the same trophic level based on δ¹⁵N values in muscle but had slightly different sources of carbon based on δ¹³C measurements in muscle. After removing the influence of age, sex, and blubber thickness, OC concentrations did not vary between ringed seals from the east and west side of the polynya. ΣPCB, ΣDDT, and Σchlordane were found to increase with age for both male and female seals. The inclusion of older (>20 years) female seals, which may have a reduced reproductive effort, may influence the relationships in females. Stable isotopes failed to describe OC concentrations in ringed seals suggesting that diet was not a major factor in variation of OC concentrations within this ringed seal population. Cis- and trans-chlordane, oxychlordane, and heptachlor epoxide were all nonracemic in the ringed seal blubber but did not vary with age, sex, or collection site. α-HCH appeared racemic (enantiomeric fraction = 0.50 ± 0.01) in the seals, although this EF is different than those previously observed in their prey species, and was found to vary significantly with age. EF values in the ringed seals varied considerably from other Arctic marine mammals and seabirds, providing addition evidence that the type(s) and characteristic(s) of the enzymes involved in biotransformation of chiral OCs vary between these organisms. Received: 11 April 2001/Accepted: 27 June 2001     

Normal amniotic pressure throughout gestation.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize amniotic pressure (AP) in pregnancies with normal amniotic fluid volume. DESIGN: Observational study, mainly cross-sectional. SETTING: Fetal medicine unit within a tertiary referral hospital. SUBJECTS: Patients undergoing transamniotic invasive procedures in whom amniotic fluid volume was subjectively assessed as normal on ultrasound. Those beyond 16 weeks with a deepest vertical pool on ultrasound less than 3.0 or greater than 8.0 cm were excluded. Overall 194 pregnancies were studied on 232 occasions between 7 and 38 weeks gestation. INTERVENTIONS: Manometry readings referenced to the top of the maternal abdomen were obtained via a fluid-filled line from the needle hub and either connected to a pressure transducer (n = 190) or held vertically against a ruler (n = 42). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: AP in mm Hg, AP corrected for gestational age (z scores), semi-quantitative ultrasonic indices of amniotic fluid volume, clinical variables. RESULTS: AP in singleton pregnancies increased with advancing gestation (P less than 0.001), and the sigmoid-shaped regression curve plateaued in the mid-trimester. AP z scores were not influenced by volume-related phenomena such as twin gestation, the deepest vertical pool, or amniotic fluid index, nor by maternal age, parity, gravidity, fetal sex, or subsequent spontaneous preterm delivery. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that AP is not principally determined by intrauterine volume. We speculate that AP, which reflects change in uterine tension as a function of radius, may instead be determined by gestation-specific anatomical and hormonal influences on gravid uterine musculature. A reference range for AP has been constructed for use in amnioinfusion and amnioreduction procedures.     

Isolation, regulation, and DNA-binding properties of three Drosophila nuclear hormone receptor superfamily members.

We have designed a rapid cloning and screening strategy to identify new members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily that are expressed during the onset of Drosophila metamorphosis. Using this approach, we isolated three Drosophila genes, designated DHR38, DHR78, and DHR96. All three genes are expressed throughout third-instar larval and prepupal development. DHR38 is the Drosophila homolog of NGFI-B and binds specifically to an NGFI-B response element. DHR78 and DHR96 are orphan receptor genes. DHR78 is induced by 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) in cultured larval organs, and its encoded protein binds to two AGGTCA half-sites arranged as either direct or palindromic repeats. DHR96 is also 20E-inducible, and its encoded protein binds selectively to the hsp27 20E response element. The 20E receptor can bind to each of the sequences recognized by DHR78 and DHR96, indicating that these proteins may compete with the receptor for binding to a common set of target sequences.     

The frequency of chromosome anomalies in human preimplantation embryos after in-vitro fertilization

Previous studies have reported chromosome aberrations in humanpre-embryos after in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Although thereason for these abnormalities is not clear, there is evidencethat they can arise during gametogenesis, fertilization or cleavage.The present study has examined further the incidence of chromosomeabnormalities in human pre-embryos after IVF, using oocytesrecovered from normal volunteer women and from women undergoinginfertility treatment in an embryo-replacement programme. Chromosomepreparations were performed for 75 pre-embryos. Of these 35(47%) gave at least one metaphase in which analysis was possible.The overall incidence of abnormal pre-embryos was 40% (14/35).The absolute frequency of aberrations was 9% for trisomies,3% for polyploidies, 26% for structural anomalies and 3% forhypodiploidies. Five pre-embryos were found to be mosaics, threeof which had each one trisomic metaphase. In five of the pre-embryosmultiple anomalies were found. In 13 of the 14 abnormal pre-embryosthe aberrations were found in only one metaphase. The presentstudy demonstrates that trisomic mosaicism may not be a rareevent in human pre-embryos. Further evidence is provided thatmitotic non-disjunction is important for the production of aberrationsin human pre-embryos     

Lack of effect of high-dose antioestrogen on the maturation and in-vitro fertilization of human oocytes

Thirty-four women requesting laparoscopic sterilization underwenta fixed schedule regimen for multiple follicular developmentwhich included norethisterone and clomiphene citrate. Follicleaspiration for oocyte recovery was attempted laparoscopically34 h after administration of 5000 IU human chononic gonadotrophin(HCG). Nineteen women were given 80 mg tamoxifen orally 4 hprior to HCG injection, while 15 acted as controls. There wasno statistical difference in fertilization rates in vitro betweentamoxifen-treated patients and controls (80 and 68% respectively).In addition, the morphological characteristics of the oocytes,the rates of cleavage, and the concentrations of oestradiol,progesterone and androstenedione in follicular fluid were similarin the two groups. Tamoxifen was detected in substantial amountsin follicular fluids of patients given tamoxifen. These resultssuggest that high-dose tamoxifeii, in clinically used doses,does not adversely affect the final stages of maturation orthe fertilization and early cleavage of human oocytes.     

Dissimilar tcr v-Beta frequencies in til from different sites of the same tumor

Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) cultured long term in media containing IL-2 were shown to mediate in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor responses. To understand the anti-tumor activity of TIL T cells, we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to characterize the TCR Vbeta repertoire of ovarian TIL which were isolated from three tumor sites of the same patient at the same time and cultured under identical conditions, resulting in CD3+ cells with similar CD8:CD4 ratios. TIL isolated from ovary and ascites expressed a broad distribution of Vbeta repertoire, while the Vbeta phenotype of the TIL from a secondary tumor (omentum) was more restricted. After 5 months, cultured TIL from the primary tumor (ovary) maintained a diverse TCR Vbeta repertoire, but the Vbeta phenotype of TIL from the secondary site was dominated by the Vbeta-1, -11 and -14 families. Importantly, the percentages of Vbeta-11 and Vbeta-1 expression in both omentum and ovary TIL at 3 and 5 months was found to correlate with the levels of lysis of the tumor localized to omentum (p =0.003 and p=0.014, respectively). No statistical correlation was found between cytotoxicity and the use of any other individual Vbeta families or the sum of any other families, including TCR Vbeta-3 or -20 found increased at certain time points. This suggests that where certain TCR Vbeta families are selected in tumor reactive T cells this selection may reflect tumor Ag recognition at either primary or distant tumor sites. To our knowledge, this is the first documentation of complete TCR Vbeta repertoire of ovarian TIL and of a correlation between Vbeta usage and tumor lysis, by effectors from different sites.     

The physics and chemistry of heavy fermions

The heavy fermions are a subset of the f-electron intermetallic compounds straddling the magnetic/nonmagnetic boundary. Their low-temperature properties are characterized by an electronic energy scale of order 1-10 K. Among the low-temperature ground states observed in heavy fermion compounds are exotic superconductors and magnets, as well as unusual semiconductors. We review here the current experimental and theoretical understanding of these systems.