Environmental threats to children's health in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific

The Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions contain half of the world's children and are among the most rapidly industrializing regions of the globe. Environmental threats to children's health are widespread and are multiplying as nations in the area undergo industrial development and pass through the epidemiologic transition. These environmental hazards range from traditional threats such as bacterial contamination of drinking water and wood smoke in poorly ventilated dwellings to more recently introduced chemical threats such as asbestos construction materials; arsenic in groundwater; methyl isocyanate in Bhopal, India; untreated manufacturing wastes released to landfills; chlorinated hydrocarbon and organophosphorous pesticides; and atmospheric lead emissions from the combustion of leaded gasoline. To address these problems, pediatricians, environmental health scientists, and public health workers throughout Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific have begun to build local and national research and prevention programs in children's environmental health. Successes have been achieved as a result of these efforts: A cost-effective system for producing safe drinking water at the village level has been devised in India; many nations have launched aggressive antismoking campaigns; and Thailand, the Philippines, India, and Pakistan have all begun to reduce their use of lead in gasoline, with resultant declines in children's blood lead levels. The International Conference on Environmental Threats to the Health of Children, held in Bangkok, Thailand, in March 2002, brought together more than 300 representatives from 35 countries and organizations to increase awareness on environmental health hazards affecting children in these regions and throughout the world. The conference, a direct result of the Environmental Threats to the Health of Children meeting held in Manila in April 2000, provided participants with the latest scientific data on children's vulnerability to environmental hazards and models for future policy and public health discussions on ways to improve children's health. The Bangkok Statement, a pledge resulting from the conference proceedings, is an important first step in creating a global alliance committed to developing active and innovative national and international networks to promote and protect children's environmental health.

Environmental and health effects associated with Harmful Algal Bloom and marine algal toxins in China

The frequency and scale of Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) and marine algal toxin incidents have been increasing and spreading in the past two decades, causing damages to the marine environment and threatening human life through contaminated seafood. To better understand the effect of HAB and marine algal toxins on marine environment and human health in China, this paper overviews HAB occurrence and marine algal toxin incidents, as well as their environmental and health effects in this country. HAB has been increasing rapidly along the Chinese coast since the 1970s, and at least 512 documented HAB events have occurred from 1952 to 2002 in the Chinese mainland. It has been found that PSP and DSP toxins are distributed widely along both the northern and southern Chinese coasts. The HAB and marine algal toxin events during the 1990s in China were summarized, showing that the HAB and algal toxins resulted in great damages to local fisheries, marine culture, quality of marine environment, and human health. Therefore, to protect the coastal environment and human health, attention to HAB and marine algal toxins is urgently needed from the environmental and epidemiological view.

Small but influential: the role of microRNAs on gene regulatory network and 3 ' UTR evolution

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous similar to 22 nucleotide noncoding RNAs that regulate the expression of complementary messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Thousands of miRNA genes have been found in diverse species, and many of them are highly conserved. With the mi

The ADH1B Arg47His polymorphism in East Asian populations and expansion of rice domestication in history

Background: The emergence of agriculture about 10,000 years ago marks a dramatic change in human evolutionary history. The diet shift in agriculture societies might have a great impact on the genetic makeup of Neolithic human populations. The regionally restricted enrichment of the class I alcohol dehydrogenase sequence polymorphism (ADH1BArg47His) in southern China and the adjacent areas suggests Darwinian positive selection on this genetic locus during Neolithic time though the driving force is yet to be disclosed. Results: We studied a total of 38 populations (2,275 individuals) including Han Chinese, Tibetan and other ethnic populations across China. The geographic distribution of the ADH1B*47His allele in these populations indicates a clear east-to-west cline, and it is dominant in south-eastern populations but rare in Tibetan populations. The molecular dating suggests that the emergence of the ADH1B*47His allele occurred about 10,000 similar to 7,000 years ago. Conclusion: We present genetic evidence of selection on the ADH1BArg47His polymorphism caused by the emergence and expansion of rice domestication in East Asia. The geographic distribution of the ADH1B*47His allele in East Asia is consistent with the unearthed culture relic sites of rice domestication in China. The estimated origin time of ADH1B*47His allele in those populations coincides with the time of origin and expansion of Neolithic agriculture in southern China.

mtDNA Data Indicate a Single Origin for Dogs South of Yangtze River, Less Than 16,300 Years Ago, from Numerous Wolves

There is no generally accepted picture of where, when, and how the domestic dog originated. Previous studies of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have failed to establish the time and precise place of origin because of lack of phylogenetic resolution in the so fa

Phylogeny of the Asian spiny frog tribe Paini (Family Dicroglossidae) sensu Dubois

The anuran tribe Paini, family Dicroglossidae, is known in this group only from Asia. The phylogenetic relationships and often the taxonomic recognition of species are controversial. In order to stabilize the classification, we used approximately 2100bp o

Adaptive Evolution of Digestive RNASE1 Genes in Leaf-Eating Monkeys Revisited: New Insights from Ten Additional Colobines

Pancreatic RNase genes implicated in the adaptation of the colobine monkeys to leaf eating have long intrigued evolutionary biologists since the identification of a duplicated RNASE1 gene with enhanced digestive efficiencies in Pygathrix nemaeus. The recent emergence of two contrasting hypotheses, that is, independent duplication and one-duplication event hypotheses, make it into focus again. Current understanding of Colobine RNASE1 gene evolution of colobine monkeys largely depends on the analyses of few colobine species. The present study with more intensive taxonomic and character sampling not only provides a clearer picture of Colobine RNASE1 gene evolution but also allows to have a more thorough understanding about the molecular basis underlying the adaptation of Colobinae to the unique leaf-feeding lifestyle. The present broader and detailed phylogenetic analyses yielded two important findings: 1) All trees based on the analyses of coding, noncoding, and both regions provided consistent evidence, indicating RNASE1 duplication occurred after Asian and African colobines speciation, that is, independent duplication hypothesis; 2) No obvious evidence of gene conversion in RNASE1 gene was found, favoring independent evolution of Colobine RNASE1 gene duplicates. The conclusion drawn from previous studies that gene conversion has played a significant role in the evolution of Colobine RNASE1 was not supported. Our selective constraint analyses also provided interesting insights, with significant evidence of positive selection detected on ancestor lineages leading to duplicated gene copies. The identification of a handful of new adaptive sites and amino acid changes that have not been characterized previously also provide a necessary foundation for further experimental investigations of RNASE1 functional evolution in Colobinae.

A multi-locus phylogeny of Nectogalini shrews and influences of the paleoclimate on speciation and evolution

Nectogaline shrews are a major component of the small mammalian fauna of Europe and Asia, and are notable for their diverse ecology, including utilization of aquatic habitats. So far, molecular phylogenetic analyses including nectogaline species have been unable to infer a well-resolved, well-supported phylogeny, thus limiting the power of comparative evolutionary and ecological analyses of the group. Here, we employ Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of eight mitochondrial and three nuclear genes to infer the phylogenetic relationships of nectogaline shrews. We subsequently use this phylogeny to assess the genetic diversity within the genus Episoriculus, and determine whether adaptation to aquatic habitats evolved independently multiple times. Moreover, we both analyze the fossil record and employ Bayesian relaxed clock divergence dating analyses of DNA to assess the impact of historical global climate change on the biogeography of Nectogalini. We infer strong support for the polyphyly of the genus Episoriculus. We also find strong evidence that the ability to heavily utilize aquatic habitats evolved independently in both Neomys and Chimarrogale + Nectogale lineages. Our Bayesian molecular divergence analysis suggests that the early history of Nectogalini is characterized by a rapid radiation at the Miocene/Pliocene boundary, thus potentially explaining the lack of resolution at the base of the tree. Finally, we find evidence that nectogalines once inhabited northern latitudes, but the global cooling and desiccating events at the Miocene/Pliocene and Pliocene/Pleistocene boundaries and Pleistocene glaciation resulted in the migration of most Nectogalini lineages to their present day southern distribution. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Recombination Yet Inefficient Selection along the Drosophila melanogaster Subgroup's Fourth Chromosome

A central goal of evolutionary genetics is an understanding of the forces responsible for the observed variation, both within and between species. Theoretical and empirical work have demonstrated that genetic recombination contributes to this variation by breaking down linkage between nucleotide sites, thus allowing them to behave independently and for selective forces to act efficiently on them. The Drosophila fourth chromosome, which is believed to experience no-or very low-rates of recombination has been an important model for investigating these effects. Despite previous efforts, central questions regarding the extent of recombination and the predominant modes of selection acting on it remain open. In order to more comprehensively test hypotheses regarding recombination and its potential influence on selection along the fourth chromosome, we have resequenced regions from most of its genes from Drosophila melanogaster, D. simulans, and D. yakuba. These data, along with available outgroup sequence, demonstrate that recombination is low but significantly greater than zero for the three species. Despite there being recombination, there is strong evidence that its frequency is low enough to have rendered selection relatively inefficient. The signatures of relaxed constraint can be detected at both the level of polymorphism and divergence.

Molecular phylogeography and population structure of a mid-elevation montane frog Leptobrachium ailaonicum in a fragmented habitat of southwest China

Leptobrachium ailaonicum is a vulnerable anuran restricted to a patchy distribution associated with small mountain streams surrounded by forested slopes at mid-elevations (approximately 2000-2600 m) in the subtropical Mount Wuliang and Mount Ailao ranges in southwest China (Yunnan Province) and northern Vietnam. Given high habitat specificity and lack of suitable habitat in lower elevations between these ranges, we hypothesized limited gene flow between populations throughout its range. We used two mitochondrial genes to construct a phylogeographic pattern within this species in order to test our hypothesis. We also examined whether this phylogeographic pattern is a response to past geological events and/or climatic oscillations. A total of 1989 base pairs were obtained from 81 individuals of nine populations yielding 51 unique haplotypes. Both Bayesian and maximum parsimony phylogenetic analyses revealed four deeply divergent and reciprocally monophyletic mtDNA lineages that approximately correspond to four geographical regions separated by deep river valleys. These results suggest a long history of allopatric separation by vicariance. The distinct geographic distributions of four major clades and the estimated divergence time suggest spatial and temporal separations that coincide with climatic and paleogeographic changes following the orogeny and uplift of Mount Ailao during the late Miocene to mid Pliocene in southwest China. At the southern distribution, the presence of two sympatric yet differentiated clades in two areas are interpreted as a result of secondary contact between previously allopatric populations during cooler Pleistocene glacial cycles. Analysis of molecular variance indicates that most of the observed genetic variation occurs among the four regions implying long-term interruption of maternal gene flow, suggesting that L ailaonicum may represent more than one distinct species and should at least be separated into four management units corresponding to these four geographic lineages for conservation. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gene duplication in the genome of parasitic Giardia lamblia

Background: Giardia are a group of widespread intestinal protozoan parasites in a number of vertebrates. Much evidence from G. lamblia indicated they might be the most primitive extant eukaryotes. When and how such a group of the earliest branching unicellular eukaryotes developed the ability to successfully parasitize the latest branching higher eukaryotes (vertebrates) is an intriguing question. Gene duplication has long been thought to be the most common mechanism in the production of primary resources for the origin of evolutionary novelties. In order to parse the evolutionary trajectory of Giardia parasitic lifestyle, here we carried out a genome-wide analysis about gene duplication patterns in G. lamblia. Results: Although genomic comparison showed that in G. lamblia the contents of many fundamental biologic pathways are simplified and the whole genome is very compact, in our study 40% of its genes were identified as duplicated genes. Evolutionary distance analyses of these duplicated genes indicated two rounds of large scale duplication events had occurred in G. lamblia genome. Functional annotation of them further showed that the majority of recent duplicated genes are VSPs (Variant-specific Surface Proteins), which are essential for the successful parasitic life of Giardia in hosts. Based on evolutionary comparison with their hosts, it was found that the rapid expansion of VSPs in G. lamblia is consistent with the evolutionary radiation of placental mammals. Conclusions: Based on the genome-wide analysis of duplicated genes in G. lamblia, we found that gene duplication was essential for the origin and evolution of Giardia parasitic lifestyle. The recent expansion of VSPs uniquely occurring in G. lamblia is consistent with the increment of its hosts. Therefore we proposed a hypothesis that the increment of Giradia hosts might be the driving force for the rapid expansion of VSPs.

Sorex bedfordiae has the Smallest Diploid Chromosome Number of the XY Group in the Genus Sorex (Mammalia, Soricidae)

Karyological data on the lesser stripe-backed shrew, Sorex bedfordiae, were obtained from four specimens collected on Mt. Laojun, Lijiang District, Yunnan Province, China. Three of the four S. bedfordiae specimens had karyotypes consisting of 2n=26, NFa=4

Molecular Characterization and Functional Commonality of Nucleophosmin/Nucleoplasmin in Two Cyprinid Fish

Nucleophosmin/nucleoplasmin has been studied mostly in mammals and amphibians. To clarify the characteristics and function of nucleophosmin/nucleoplasmin in teleost fish, we cloned a full-length cDNA sequence from two cyprinid fish, Carassius auratus gibelio and Carassius auratus. Molecular characterization and multiple sequence alignments suggested that they are the homologs of nucleophosmin. RT-PCR and Western blot detected a specific expression in gonads, and immunofluorescence localization revealed their distribution in oogenic and spermatogenic cells. Furthermore, a sperm decondensation function was demonstrated by immunodepletion and in vitro sperm decondensation experiments. The data suggest that the cloned nucleophosmin should share expressional and functional characterization with nucleoplasmin and therefore provide novel evidence for a functional commonality of nucleophosmin and nucleoplasmin in fish.

Hepatic Histopathological Characteristics and Antioxidant Response of Phytoplanktivorous Silver Carp Intraperitoneally Injected with Extracted Microcystins

Objective To investigate the hispathological characteristics and antioxidant responses in liver of silver carp after intraperitoneal administration of microcystins (MCs) for further understanding hepatic intoxication and antioxidation mechanism in fish. Methods Phytoplanktivorous silver carp was injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with extracted hepatotoxic microcystins (mainly MC-RR and -LR) at a dose of 1000 mu g MC-LReq./kg body weight, and liver histopathological changes and antioxidant responses were studied at 1, 3, 12, 24, and 48 h, respectively, after injection. Results The damage to liver structure and the activities of hepatic antioxidant enzymes including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxide (GPX) were increased in a time-dependent manner. Conclusion In terms of clinical and histological signs of intoxication and LD50 (i.p.) dose of MC-LR, silver carp appears rather resistant to MCs exposure than other fishes. Also, the significantly increased SOD activity in the liver of silver carp suggests a higher degree of response to MCs exposure than CAT and GPX.

Antioxidant enzyme activities of Microcystis aeruginosa in response to nonylphenols and degradation of nonylphenols by M-aeruginosa

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of chemical nonylphenols (NPs) on the antioxidant system of Microcystis aeruginosa strains. The degradation and sorption of NPs by M. aeruginosa were also evaluated. High concentrations of NPs (1 and 2 mg/l) were found to cause increases in superoxidase dismutase (SOD) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities and in glutathione (GSH) levels. These results suggest that toxic stress manifested by elevated SOD and GST levels and GSH contents may be responsible for the toxicity of NPs to M. aeruginosa and that the algal cells could improve their antioxidant and detoxification ability through the enhancement of enzymatic and nonenzymatic prevention substances. The observed elevations in GSH levels and GST activities were relatively higher than those in SOD activities, indicating that GSH and GST contributed more in eliminating toxic effects than SOD. Low concentrations of NPs (0.05-0.2 mg/l) enhanced cell growth and decreased GST activity in algal cells of M. aeruginosa, suggesting that NPs may have acted as a protecting factor, such as an antioxidant. The larger portion of the NPs (> 60%) disappeared after 12 days of incubation, indicating the strong ability of M. aeruginosa to degrade the moderate persistent NP compounds. The sorption ratio of M. aeruginosa after a 12-day exposure to low nominal concentrations of NPs (0.02-0.5 mg/l) was relatively high (> 30%). The fact that M. aeruginosa effectively resisted the toxic effects of NPs and strongly degraded these pollutants indicate that M. aeruginosa cells have a strong ability to adapt to variations in environmental conditions and that low and moderate concentrations of organic compounds may favor its survival. Further studies are needed to provide detailed information on the fate of persistent organic pollutants and the survival of algae and to determine the possible role of organic pollutants in the occurrence of water blooms in eutrophic lakes.