The effect of a smoking ban introduction to environmental tobacco smoke exposure in Swiss hospitality workers : Abstracts of the 23rd Annual Conference of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE), September 13-16, 2011, Barcelona, Spain

Background and Aims: To protect the population from environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) Switzerland introduced a nationwide rather heterogeneous smoking ban in May 2010. The exposure situation of non-smoking hospitality workers before and after implementation of the new law is being assessed in a prospective cohort study. Methods: Exposure to ETS was measured using a novel method developed by the Institute for Work and Health in Lausanne. It is a passive sampler called MoNIC (Monitor of NICotine). The nicotine of the ETS is fixed onto a filter and transformed into salt of not volatile nicotine. Subsequently the number of passively smoked cigarettes is calculated. Badges were placed at the workplace as well as distributed to the participants for personal measuring. Additionally a salivary sample was taken to determine nicotine concentration. Results: At baseline Spearman's correlation between workplace and personal badge was 0.47. The average cigarette equivalents per day at the workplace obtained by badge significantly dropped from 5.1 (95%- CI: 2.4 to 7.9) at baseline to 0.3 (0.2 to 0.4) at first follow-up (n=29) three months later (p<0.001). For personal badges the number of passively smoked cigarettes declined from 1.5 (2.7 to 0.4) per day to 0.5 (0.3 to 0.8) (n=16).Salivary nicotine concentration in a subset of 13 participants who had worked on the day prior to the examination was 2.63 ng/ml before and 1.53 ng/ml after the ban (p=0.04). Spearman's correlation of salivary nicotine was 0.56 with workplace badge and 0.79 with personal badge concentrations. Conclusions: Workplace measurements clearly reflect the smoking regulation in a venue. The MoNIC badge proves to be a sensitive measuring device to determine personal ETS exposure and it is a demonstrative measure for communication with lay audiences and study participants as the number of passively smoked cigarettes is an easily conceivable result.

Geographic patterns in the distribution of social systems in terrestrial arthropods.

The role of ecology in the evolution and maintenance of arthropod sociality has received increasing research attention in recent years. In some organisms, such as halictine bees, polistine wasps, and social spiders, researchers are investigating the environmental factors that may contribute to high levels of variation in the degree of sociality exhibited both among and within species. Within lineages that include only eusocial members, such as ants and termites, studies focus more on identifying extrinsic factors that may contribute to the dramatic variation in colony size, number of queens, and division of labour that is evident across these species. In this review, I propose a comparative approach that seeks to identify environmental factors that may have a common influence across such divergent social arthropod groups. I suggest that seeking common biogeographic patterns in the distribution of social systems or key social traits may help us to identify ecological factors that play a common role in shaping the evolution of sociality across different organisms. I first review previous studies of social gradients that form along latitudinal and altitudinal axes. Within families and within species, many organisms show an increasing degree of sociality at lower latitudes and altitudes. In a smaller number of cases, organisms form larger groups or found nests cooperatively at higher latitudes and altitudes. I then describe several environmental factors that vary consistently along such gradients, including climate variables and abundance of predators, and outline their proposed role in the social systems of terrestrial arthropods. Finally, I map distributions of a social trait against several climatic factors in five case studies to demonstrate how future comparative studies could inform empirical research.

First isolation of Cryptococcus gattii molecular type VGII and Cryptococcus neoformans molecular type VNI from environmental sources in the city of Belém, Pará, Brazil

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are important agents of meningoencephalitis in humans in the city of Belém. This clinical data suggests that the region may be a highly endemic area for the pathogenic Cryptococcus species within the state of Pará (PA), Northern Brazil. Preliminary analysis of 11 environmental samples from the city of Belém showed two positive locations, including a hollow of a kassod tree (Senna siamea) colonized simultaneously by C. gattii molecular type VGII and C. neoformans molecular type VNI, and a birdcage in a commercial aviary positive for C. neoformans, molecular type VNI. This is the first evidence of an environmental occurrence of molecular types VNI and VGII in PA.

Time-series regression models to study the short-term effects of environmental factors on health

Time series regression models are especially suitable in epidemiology for evaluating short-term effects of time-varying exposures on health. The problem is that potential for confounding in time series regression is very high. Thus, it is important that trend and seasonality are properly accounted for. Our paper reviews the statistical models commonly used in time-series regression methods, specially allowing for serial correlation, make them potentially useful for selected epidemiological purposes. In particular, we discuss the use of time-series regression for counts using a wide range Generalised Linear Models as well as Generalised Additive Models. In addition, recently critical points in using statistical software for GAM were stressed, and reanalyses of time series data on air pollution and health were performed in order to update already published. Applications are offered through an example on the relationship between asthma emergency admissions and photochemical air pollutants

Latitude gradients in melanoma incidence and mortality in the non-Maori population of New Zealand

The variation with latitude of incidence and mortality for cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) in the non-Maori population of New Zealand was assessed. For those aged 20 to 74 years, the effects of age, time period, birth-cohort, gender, and region (latitude), and some interactions between them were evaluated by log-linear regression methods. Increasing age-standardized incidence and mortality rates with increasing proximity to the equator were found for men and women. These latitude gradients were greater for males than females. The relative risk of melanoma in the most southern part of New Zealand (latitude 44 degrees S) compared with the most northern region (latitude 36 degrees S) was 0.63 (95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 0.60-0.67) for incidence and 0.76 (CI = 0.68-0.86) for mortality, both genders combined. The mean percentage change in CMM rates per degree of latitude for males was greater than those reported in other published studies. Differences between men and women in melanoma risk with latitude suggest that regional sun-behavior patterns or other risk factors may contribute to the latitude gradient observed.

Bacterial biosensors for measuring availability of environmental pollutants

Abstract: Traditionally, pollution risk assessment is based on the measurement of a pollutant's total concentration in a sample. The toxicity of a given pollutant in the environment, however, is tightly linked to its bioavailability, which may differ significantly from the total amount. Physico-chemical and biological parameters strongly influence pollutant fate in terms of leaching, sequestration and biodegradation. Bacterial sensorreporters, which consist of living micro-organisms genetically engineered to produce specific output in response to target chemicals, offer an interesting alternative to monitoring approaches. Bacterial sensor-reporters detect bioavailable and/or bioaccessible compound fractions in samples. Currently, a variety of environmental pollutants can be targeted by specific biosensor-reporters. Although most of such strains are still confined to the lab, several recent reports have demonstrated utility of bacterial sensing-reporting in the field, with method detection limits in the nanomolar range. This review illustrates the general design principles for bacterial sensor-reporters, presents an overview of the existing biosensor-reporter strains with emphasis on organic compound detection. A specific focus throughout is on the concepts of bioavailability and bioaccessibility, and how bacteria-based sensing-reporting systems can help to improve our basic understanding of the different processes at work.

Toxic cardenolides: chemical ecology and coevolution of specialized plant-herbivore interactions.

CONTENTS: Summary 28 I. Historic background and introduction 29 II. Diversity of cardenolide forms 29 III. Biosynthesis 30 IV. Cardenolide variation among plant parts 31 V. Phylogenetic distribution of cardenolides 32 VI. Geographic distribution of cardenolides 34 VII. Ecological genetics of cardenolide production 34 VIII. Environmental regulation of cardenolide production 34 IX. Biotic induction of cardenolides 36 X. Mode of action and toxicity of cardenolides 38 XI. Direct and indirect effects of cardenolides on specialist and generalist insect herbivores 39 XII. Cardenolides and insect oviposition 39 XIII. Target site insensitivity 40 XIV. Alternative mechanisms of cardenolide resistance 40 XV. Cardenolide sequestration 41 Acknowledgements 42 References 42 SUMMARY: Cardenolides are remarkable steroidal toxins that have become model systems, critical in the development of theories for chemical ecology and coevolution. Because cardenolides inhibit the ubiquitous and essential animal enzyme Na(+) /K(+) -ATPase, most insects that feed on cardenolide-containing plants are highly specialized. With a huge diversity of chemical forms, these secondary metabolites are sporadically distributed across 12 botanical families, but dominate the Apocynaceae where they are found in > 30 genera. Studies over the past decade have demonstrated patterns in the distribution of cardenolides among plant organs, including all tissue types, and across broad geographic gradients within and across species. Cardenolide production has a genetic basis and is subject to natural selection by herbivores. In addition, there is strong evidence for phenotypic plasticity, with the biotic and abiotic environment predictably impacting cardenolide production. Mounting evidence indicates a high degree of specificity in herbivore-induced cardenolides in Asclepias. While herbivores of cardenolide-containing plants often sequester the toxins, are aposematic, and possess several physiological adaptations (including target site insensitivity), there is strong evidence that these specialists are nonetheless negatively impacted by cardenolides. While reviewing both the mechanisms and evolutionary ecology of cardenolide-mediated interactions, we advance novel hypotheses and suggest directions for future work.

Occurrence and composition of class 1 and class 2 integrons in clinical and environmental O1 and non-O1/non-O139 Vibrio cholerae strains from the Brazilian Amazon

This study identified and characterised class 1 and 2 integrons in clinical and environmental Vibrio cholerae O1 and non-O1/non-O139 strains isolated from the Brazilian Amazon. The aadA2 and aadA7 gene cassettes were found in class 1 integrons in two genotypes of environmental V. cholerae non-O1/non-O139. Empty integrons were found in strains from the Brazilian cholera epidemic. A class 2 integron was detected in one strain from the V. cholerae Amazonia lineage harbouring sat1 and aadA1 genes. All isolates were resistant to aminoglycosides, indicating aadA functionality. These findings suggest that environmental bacteria act as cassette reservoirs that favour the emergence of resistant pathogens.

A framework for assessing the scale of influence of environmental factors on ecological patterns

The distribution of living organisms, habitats and ecosystems is primarily driven by abiotic environmental factors that are spatially structured. Assessing the spatial structure of environmental factors, e.g., through spatial autocorrelation analyses (SAC), can thus help us understand their scale of influence on the distribution of organisms, habitats, and ecosystems. Yet SAC analyses of environmental factors are still rarely performed in biogeographic studies. Here, we describe a novel framework that combines SAC and statistical clustering to identify scales of spatial patterning of environmental factors, which can then be interpreted as the scales at which those factors influence the geographic distribution of biological and ecological features. We illustrate this new framework with datasets at different spatial or thematic resolutions. This framework is conceptually and statistically robust, providing a valuable approach to tackle a wide range of issues in ecological and environmental research and particularly when building predictors for ecological models. The new framework can significantly promote fundamental research on all spatially-structured ecological patterns. It can also foster research and application in such fields as global change ecology, conservation planning, and landscape management.

Multiplex PCR-based detection of Leptospira in environmental water samples obtained from a slum settlement

The aim of this study was to apply a molecular protocol to detect leptospiral DNA in environmental water samples. The study was carried out in a peri-urban settlement in Petrópolis, state of Rio de Janeiro. A multiplex PCR method employing the primers LipL32 and 16SrRNA was used. Three out of 100 analysed samples were positive in the multiplex PCR, two were considered to have saprophytic leptospires and one had pathogenic leptospires. The results obtained supported the idea that multiplex PCR can be used to detect Leptospira spp in water samples. This method was also able to differentiate between saprophytic and pathogenic leptospires and was able to do so much more easily than conventional methodologies.

Environnement et capacités cognitives chez le rat : compétition entre les facteurs qui influencent les stratégies spatiales

RESUME Ce travail se propose de discuter des résultats comportementaux observés chez des rats obtenus dans trois paradigmes expérimentaux différents : le bassin de Morris (Morris Water Maze, Morris, 1984) ; la table à trous (Homing Board, Schenk, 1989) et le labyrinthe radial (Radial Arm Maze, Olton et Samuelson, 1976). Les deux premières tâches sont spatiales et permettent un apprentissage de place en environnements contrôlés, et la troisième est une tâche comportementale qui différencie deux habiletés particulières, celle d'élimination (basée sur la mémoire de travail) et celle de sélection (basée sur la mémoire de référence). La discussion des résultats porte sur les stratégies de navigation utilisées par les animaux pour résoudre les tâches et plus précisément sur les facteurs qui peuvent influencer le choix de ces stratégies. Le facteur environnemental (environnement contrôlé) et le facteur cognitif (vieillissement) représentent les variables étudiées ici. C'est ainsi que certaines hypothèses communément acceptées ont été malmenées par nos résultats. Or si l'espace est habituellement supposé homogène (toutes les positions spatiales présentent le même degré de difficulté lors d'un apprentissage en champ ouvert), ce travail établit qu'une position associée -sans contiguïté - à l'un des trois indices visuels situés dans la périphérie de l'environnement est plus difficile à apprendre qu'une position située entre deux des trois indices. Deuxièmement, alors qu'il est admis que l'apprentissage d'une place dans un environnement riche requiert le même type d'information. dans la bassin de Morris (tâche nagée) que sur la table à trous (tâche marchée), nous avons montré que la discrimination spatiale en bassin ne peut être assurée par les trois indices visuels périphériques et nécessite la présence d'au moins un élément supplémentaire. Enfin, l'étude du vieillissement a souvent montré que l'âge réduit les capacités cognitives nécessaires à la navigation spatiale, conduisant à un déficit général des performances d'un animal sénescent, alors que dans notre travail, nous avons trouvé les animaux âgés plus performants et plus efficaces que les adultes dans une tâche particulière de collecte de nourriture. Ces expériences s'inscrivent dans une étude générale qui met à l'épreuve le modèle théorique proposé pax Schenk et Jacobs (2003), selon lequel l'encodage de la carte cognitive (Tolman, 1948 ; O'Keefe et Nadel, 1978) se ferait dans l'hippocampe par l'activité de deux modules complémentaires :d'une part le CA3 - Gyrus Denté pour le traitement d'une trame spatiale basée sur des éléments directionnels et Jou distribués en gradient (bearing map) et d'autre part le CAl - Subiculum pour le traitement des représentations locales basées sur les positions relatives des éléments fixes de l'environnement (sketch map). SUMMARY This work proposes to talk about behavioural results observed in three different experimental paradigms with rats: the Morris Water Maze (Morris, 1984); the Homing Board (Schenk, 1989) and the Radial Arm Maze (Olton and Samuelson, 1976). The two first tasks are spatial ones and allow place learning in controlled environments. The third one is a behavioural task which contrasts two particular skills, the elimination (based on working memory) and the selection one (based on reference memory). The topic of the discussion will be the navigation strategies used by animals to solve the different tasks, and more precisely the factors which can bias this strategies' choice. The environmental (controlled) and the cognitive (aging) factors are the variables studied here. Thus, some hypotheses usually accepted were manhandled by our results. Indeed, if space is habitually homogenously considered (all spatial positions present the same degree of difficulty in an open field learning), this work establishes that an associated position -without being adjacent - to one of the three visual cues localised in the environmental periphery is more difficult to learn than a configurationnel position (situated between two of the three cues). Secondly, if it is received that place learning in a rich environment requires the same information in the Morris water maze (swimming task) that on the Homing board (walking task), we showed that spatial discrimination in the water maze can't be provided by the three peripheral cue cards and needs the presence of a supplementary cue. At last, aging studies often showed that oldness decreases cognitive skills in spatial navigation, leading to a general deficit in performances. But, in our work, we found that senescent rats were more efficient than adult ones in a special food collecting task. These experiments come within the scope of a general study which tests the theoretical model proposed by Jacobs and Schenk (2003), according to which the cognitive map's encoding (Tolman, 1948, O'Keefe and Nadel, 1978) should take place in the hippocampus by two complementary modules, first the DG-CA3 should encode directional and/or gradients references (the bearing map), and secondly the Subiculum-CAl should process locale elements (the sketch map).

Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii - Pathogenicity of environmental isolates correlated to virulence factors, susceptibility to fluconazole and molecular profile

The pathogenicity of Cryptococcus neoformans is heterogeneous and is associated with the expression of virulence factors. This study aimed to correlate the pathogenicity of C. neoformans var. grubii in BALB/c mice with in vitro virulence factors, fluconazole minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and molecular profiles, before and after animal passage. Ten environmental isolates and one ATCC strain of C. neoformans var. grubii mating type α were evaluated. Most isolates (91%) killed 50% or more of the infected animals by day 24 postinfection and were recovered from the lungs and brains of surviving animals on days 7 and 14 postinfection. The burden of yeast in the lungs was more variable than that in the brain. The differences in the expression of virulence factors (growth at 37ºC, presence and size of the capsule and production of melanin, urease, proteinase and phospholipase) by most isolates pre and postpassage in animals were not statistically significant. The fluconazole MICs in postpassaged lines differed by a one-dilution from the MIC of the corresponding prepassaged line for six isolates. Using molecular typing [polymerase chain reaction-fingerprinting with (GACA)4 and M13], eight isolates were identified as VNI and three as VNII. We concluded that different isolates with the same molecular and phenotypic profiles, including isolates that are markedly hypervirulent, span a wide range of virulence and there were no changes in virulence factors in the postpassaged lines when compared with the corresponding nonpassaged lines.