Twenty freshwater eels caught in Flanders (Belgium) were analysed by GC-MS for a total of 52 VOCs. The most prominent VOCs are the BTEX and a number of chlorinated compounds such as chloroform and tetrachloroethene. The observed concentrations which, typically, were in the low ng/g wet weight range, could be linked to the major emission sources and the present study gives new evidence that comb...

OBJECTIVE To determine the metal contents of date palm (Pheonix dactylifera) samples in dry season from Denizli-Turkey for investigation of heavy metal-polluted traffic. METHOD The levels of iron, copper, zinc, lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium, and manganese ions in the leaves of thirty five date palm (Pheonix dactylifera) samples collected from various levels of traffic in the streets of Deni...

Implantable loop recorders (ILR) are devices that implanted subcutaneously on the chest, which enables continuous monitoring of arrhythmias for up to three years. These have an important role in helping make a diagnosis and supporting decisions about best patient management. There currently companies produce ILRs. The Reveal DX XT device is produced by Medtronic. Confirm Abbott. Biomonitor III ...

We examined adaptations in histochemical composition and chemical element content in pine needles caused by pollution stress. Phenol content and trace element concentrations were measured in mature needles of Pinus halepensis Mill. and Pinus pinea L. from an urban ecosystem (the city of Palermo, Italy) and compared with samples collected in periurban sites where air pollution is presumably lowe...

The precise detection of genotoxic effects induced by environmental contaminants is an essential part of any genetic toxicology screening programme. Fish, however, provides a sensitive monitor for environmental genotoxicity in aquatic environment. Mugil cephalus genome has now been employed in this study for detection of clastogenic and cellular lesions induced by aquatic contaminants in Abu-Qi...

A method has been tested in laboratory mice to monitor for the presence of brevetoxins in blood after exposure. The use of blood collection cards is an adaptation of a method employed for routine diagnostic and genetic testing of newborns. Blood is collected and applied to a 0.5-inch diameter circle on a specially prepared blood collection card and allowed to dry. The blood spots are then extra...

The misuse of antibiotics has contributed to widespread development of antimicrobial resistance among clinically significant bacterial species. Alternative approaches other than those using antibiotics are needed in the fight against infectious diseases. Quorum sensing (QS) is an intercellular signaling and gene regulatory mechanism, which is used by a number of opportunistic pathogenic bacteri...

The Ria Formosa lagoon is an ecosystem whose water quality reflects the anthropogenic influence upon the surrounding areas. In this lagoon, the clam Ruditapes decussatus has a great economical importance and has been widely used as a biomonitor. A multibiomarker approach (δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase, metallothionein, lipid peroxidation, acetylcholinesterase, alkali-labile phosphates, DNA ...

Climate change, exerting thermal stress, and habitat destruction and fragmentation, resulting in genetic drift and inbreeding, are amongst the most disturbing human activities that endanger global biodiversity. We studied the interplay between these 2 processes using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism and investigated how inbreeding affects the response to thermal stress. We found that...

The hypothesis is tested that toxicity of acid mine drainage can be detected by a selection of existing macroinvertebrate community and bioindicator metrices supplemented by toxicity tests with the local mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki Girard and the shrimp Atyaephyra desmaresti Millet. The behavioural responses of A. desmaresti to acid mine drainage were recorded in the Multispecies Freshwater...