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The e-newsletter Marine Science Review compiles citations and abstracts of significant marine-related research, selected from more than 650 science journals. Each of its 12 subject areas, which include the range of important issues involving the intersection of human activity with coastal and marine environments, is distributed monthly. You can subscribe to each subject area individually or to all.
- Fussel, H.M. How inequitable is the global distribution of responsibility, capability, and vulnerability to climate change: A comprehensive indicator-based assessment. Global Environmental Change 20(4): 597-611, 2010.
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While it is generally asserted that those countries who have contributed least to anthropogenic climate change are most vulnerable to its adverse impacts some recently developed indices of vulnerability to climate change come to a different conclusion. Confirmation or rejection of this assertion is complicated by the lack of an agreed metric for measuring countries' vulnerability to climate change and by conflicting interpretations of vulnerability. This paper presents a comprehensive semi-quantitative analysis of the disparity between countries' responsibility for climate change, their capability to act and assist, and their vulnerability to climate change for four climate-sensitive sectors based on a broad range of disaggregated vulnerability indicators. This analysis finds a double inequity between responsibility and capability on the one hand and the vulnerability of food security, human health, and coastal populations on the other. This double inequity is robust across alternative indicator choices and interpretations of vulnerability. The main cause for the higher vulnerability of poor nations who have generally contributed little to climate change is their lower adaptive capacity. In addition, the biophysical sensitivity and socio-economic exposure of poor nations to climate impacts on food security and human health generally exceeds that of wealthier nations. No definite statement can be made on the inequity associated with climate impacts on water supply due to large uncertainties about future changes in regional water availability and to conflicting indicators of current water scarcity. The robust double inequity between responsibility and vulnerability for most climate-sensitive sectors strengthens the moral case for financial and technical assistance from those countries most responsible for climate change to those countries most vulnerable to its adverse impacts. However, the complex and geographically heterogeneous patterns of vulnerability factors for different climate-sensitive sectors suggest that the allocation of international adaptation funds to developing countries should be guided by sector-specific or hazard-specific criteria despite repeated requests from participants in international climate negotiations to develop a generic index of countries' vulnerability to climate change.
- Rajamani, L. The increasing currency and relevance of rights-based perspectives in the international negotiations on climate change. Journal of Environmental Law 22(3): 391-429, 2010.
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It is axiomatic that the climate impacts documented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are likely to undermine the realisation of a range of protected human rights. Yet it is only in the recent past that an explicit human rights approach has been brought to bear on the climate change problem. Scholars and human rights bodies have begun to advocate a human rights-centred approach to climate change – an approach which would place the individual at the centre of inquiry, and draw attention to the impact that climate change could have on human rights protection. This article focuses on the human rights claims raised in the climate negotiations, the implications these claims may have and the interests they may serve. The article argues that human rights approaches, taken in their entirety, have the potential to bring much needed attention to individual welfare as well as to provide ethical moorings in inter-governmental climate negotiations currently characterised by self-interested deal-seeking. Human rights approaches provide benchmarks against which states' actions can be evaluated and they offer the possibility of holding authorities to account. Human rights approaches may also offer additional criteria for the interpretation of applicable principles and obligations that states have to each other, to their own citizens, and to the citizens of other states in relation to climate change. This article seeks to provide initial insights into the ways in which human-rights-based interpretations of applicable principles and obligations may serve to influence some of the current debates in the climate negotiations.
- Crowley, P. Interpreting 'dangerous' in the United Nations framework convention on climate change and the human rights of Inuit. Regional Environmental Change 11(Supplement 1): 265-274, 2011.
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The ultimate objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the stabilization of greenhouse gases at a level that would prevent dangerous interference with the climate system. Over the past decade, a growing body of scientific and anecdotal evidence has demonstrated that significant adverse effects of climate change are already occurring in the Arctic. In turn, Arctic climate impacts have fundamentally altered the Inuit's way of life, which is intimately tied to the physical environment. This article argues that changes to the Inuit's means of subsistence, property, cultural heritage, enjoyment of natural resources and movement, among others, constitute human rights violations. Those human rights violations, when combined with other global consequences of Arctic climate impacts, indicate that the Parties to the UNFCCC are not meeting their international legal obligations. As a consequence, the author submits that the Parties to the UNFCCC should re-examine their negotiating positions to determine what level of greenhouse gas stabilization will prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. In making that determination, human rights must be considered.
- Kawarazuka, N. and Bene, C. Linking small-scale fisheries and aquaculture to household nutritional security: an overview. Food Security 2(4): 343-357, 2010.
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Small-scale fisheries and aquaculture have been recognized as important opportunities to enhance household food security in developing countries. While interventions aiming at promoting these activities reveal many positive effects, their direct and indirect impacts on nutritional status have not yet been fully documented. The objective of this paper is to identify more specifically the potential pathways that exist between fish-related livelihoods (small-scale fisheries, fish farming) and household nutritional security. The existing literature reveals scattered but increasing evidence of the contribution of fish to nutritional security through three distinct pathways. The first one is the direct nutritional contribution from fish consumption: because fish are rich in essential nutrients such as vitamin A, calcium, iron and zinc, households engaged in small-scale fisheries or aquaculture are, in theory, able to improve their own nutritional intakes by consuming some of the fish they capture or farm. The second relates to income: increased purchasing power through the sale of fish is recognized as critical for households to be able to access other foods and to improve their overall dietary intake. Finally, because the degree of control exercised by women over family income impacts directly on household food security and nutritional outcomes, enhancing the economic status of women through their involvement in aquaculture and/or fisheries-related activities (fish processing and trading) is also identified as another important pathway to improve household nutritional security. For these three pathways, however, evidence is often only anecdotal and therefore, the paper concludes by highlighting areas where further research and data are needed.
- Barnett, J. Dangerous climate change in the Pacific Islands: food production and food security. Regional Environmental Change 11(Supplement 1): 229-237, 2011.
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This paper explores the risks that climate change poses to food security in the islands of the South Pacific. It shows that climate change will adversely affect food systems in the region, including the supply of food from agriculture and fisheries, the ability of countries to import food, systems for the distribution of food, and the ability of households to purchase and utilize food. In these ways, climate change puts at risk the very basic and universal need for people in the islands to have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food at all times. It is argued that for people in the South Pacific, the risks climate change poses to food security constitutes a 'dangerous' change in climate.
- Sheffield, P.E. and Landrigan, P.J. Global climate change and children's health: Threats and strategies for prevention. Environmental Health Perspectives 119(3): 291-298, 2011.
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BACKGROUND: Global climate change will have multiple effects on human health. Vulnerable populations – children, the elderly, and the poor – will be disproportionately affected. OBJECTIVE: We reviewed projected impacts of climate change on children's health, the pathways involved in these effects, and prevention strategies. DATA SOURCES: We assessed primary studies, review articles, and organizational reports. DATA SYNTHESIS: Climate change is increasing the global burden of disease and in the year 2000 was responsible for >150,000 deaths worldwide. Of this disease burden, 88% fell upon children. Documented health effects include changing ranges of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue; increased diarrheal and respiratory disease; increased morbidity and mortality from extreme weather; changed exposures to toxic chemicals; worsened poverty; food and physical insecurity; and threats to human habitation. Heat-related health effects for which research is emerging include diminished school performance, increased rates of pregnancy complications, and renal effects. Stark variation in these outcomes is evident by geographic region and socioeconomic status, and these impacts will exacerbate health disparities. Prevention strategies to reduce health impacts of climate change include reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation through multiple public health interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Further quantification of the effects of climate change on children's health is needed globally and also at regional and local levels through enhanced monitoring of children's environmental health and by tracking selected indicators. Climate change preparedness strategies need to be incorporated into public health programs.
- de Sherbinin, A., Warner, K., and Ehrhart, C. Casualties of climate change: Sea-level rises could displace tens of millions. Scientific American 304(1): 64-71, 2011.
- Kumssa, A. and Jones, J.F. Climate change and human security in Africa. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology 17(6): 453-461, 2010.
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Climate change poses a major threat to human security and poverty in Africa. In Africa, where livelihoods are mainly based on climate-dependent resources and environment, the effect of climate change will be disproportionate and severe. Moreover, Africa's capacity to adapt to and cope with the adverse effects of climate variability is generally weak. This article discusses how climate change affects human security in Africa. It also assesses the policy options available to policymakers in terms of mitigation and adaptation to climate change to reduce vulnerability and human insecurity in Africa.
- Gemenne, F. Climate-induced population displacements in a 4 ºC+ world. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 369(1934): 182-195, 2011.
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Massive population displacements are now regularly presented as one of the most dramatic possible consequences of climate change. Current forecasts and projections show that regions that would be affected by such population movements are low-lying islands, coastal and deltaic regions, as well as sub-Saharan Africa. Such estimates, however, are usually based on a 2 ºC temperature rise. In the event of a 4 ºC+ warming, not only is it likely that climate-induced population movements will be more considerable, but also their patterns could be significantly different, as people might react differently to temperature changes that would represent a threat to their very survival. This paper puts forward the hypothesis that a greater temperature change would affect not only the magnitude of the associated population movements, but also – and above all – the characteristics of these movements, and therefore the policy responses that can address them. The paper outlines the policy evolutions that climate-induced displacements in a 4 ºC+ world would require.
- Costello, A., Maslin, M., Montgomery, H., Johnson, A.M., and Ekins, P. Global health and climate change: moving from denial and catastrophic fatalism to positive action. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 369(1942): 1866-1882, 2011.
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The health effects of climate change have had relatively little attention from climate scientists and governments. Climate change will be a major threat to population health in the current century through its potential effects on communicable disease, heat stress, food and water security, extreme weather events, vulnerable shelter and population migration. This paper addresses three health-sector strategies to manage the health effects of climate change – promotion of mitigation, tackling the pathways that lead to ill-health and strengthening health systems. Mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is affordable, and low-carbon technologies are available now or will be in the near future. Pathways to ill-health can be managed through better information, poverty reduction, technological innovation, social and cultural change and greater coordination of national and international institutions. Strengthening health systems requires increased investment in order to provide effective public health responses to climate-induced threats to health, equitable treatment of illness, promotion of low-carbon lifestyles and renewable energy solutions within health facilities. Mitigation and adaptation strategies will produce substantial benefits for health, such as reductions in obesity and heart disease, diabetes, stress and depression, pneumonia and asthma, as well as potential cost savings within the health sector. The case for mitigating climate change by reducing GHGs is overwhelming. The need to build population resilience to the global health threat from already unavoidable climate change is real and urgent. Action must not be delayed by contrarians, nor by catastrophic fatalists who say it is all too late.
- Friel, S., Bowen, K., Campbell-Lendrum, D., Frumkin, H., McMichael, A.J., and Rasanathan, K. Climate change, noncommunicable diseases, and development: The relationships and common policy opportunities. Annual Review of Public Health 32: 133-147, 2011.
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The rapid growth in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including injury and poor mental health, in low- and middle-income countries and the widening social gradients in NCDs within most countries worldwide pose major challenges to health and social systems and to development more generally. As Earth's surface temperature rises, a consequence of human-induced climate change, incidences of severe heat waves, droughts, storms, and floods will increase and become more severe. These changes will bring heightened risks to human survival and will likely exacerbate the incidence of some NCDs, including cardiovascular disease, some cancers, respiratory health, mental disorders, injuries, and malnutrition. These two great and urgent contemporary human challenges – to improve global health, especially the control of NCDs, and to protect people from the effects of climate change – would benefit from alignment of their policy agendas, offering synergistic opportunities to improve population and planetary health. Well-designed climate change policy can reduce the incidence of major NCDs in local populations.
- Kang, J.X. Omega-3: A link between global climate change and human health. Biotechnology Advances 29(4): 388-390, 2011.
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In recent years, global climate change has been shown to detrimentally affect many biological and environmental factors, including those of marine ecosystems. In particular, global climate change has been linked to an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, UV irradiation, and ocean temperatures, resulting in decreased marine phytoplankton growth and reduced synthesis of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Marine phytoplankton are the primary producers of omega-3 PUFAs, which are essential nutrients for normal human growth and development and have many beneficial effects on human health. Thus, these detrimental effects of climate change on the oceans may reduce the availability of omega-3 PUFAs in our diets, exacerbating the modern deficiency of omega-3 PUFAs and imbalance of the tissue omega-6/omega-3 PUFA ratio, which have been associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disease. This article provides new insight into the relationship between global climate change and human health by identifying omega-3 PUFA availability as a potentially important link, and proposes a biotechnological strategy for addressing the potential shortage of omega-3 PUFAs in human diets resulting from global climate change.
- D'Agnes, L., D'Agnes, H., Schwartz, J.B., Amarillo, M.L., and Castro, J. Integrated management of coastal resources and human health yields added value: a comparative study in Palawan (Philippines). Environmental Conservation 37(4): 398-409, 2010.
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A quasi-experimental design was used to test the hypothesis that there will be a significant improvement in both coastal resource management (CRM) and human reproductive health (RH) outcomes by delivering these services in an integrated manner as opposed to delivering either in isolation. The CRM, RH and integrated CRM+RH interventions were tested in three island municipalities of Palawan. Pre-project (2001) and post-project (2007) measurements of dependent variables were gathered via biophysical and community household surveys. Regression analyses indicate the CRM+RH intervention generated higher impacts on human and ecosystem health outcomes compared to the independent CRM and RH interventions. Improvements in coral and mangrove conditions are attributed to the effects of protective management by collaborating peoples' organizations. The same institutions managed RH activities that enabled contraceptive access and a significant decrease in the average number of children born to women in the study area. Other trends showing a significant reduction in income-poverty among young adults infer added value. To ensure long term sustainability of CRM gains and prevent over-use of coastal resources, integrated forms of management that engage communities in the simultaneous delivery of conservation and family planning services are needed.
- Perry, R.I., Ommer, R.E., Barange, M., and Werner, F. The challenge of adapting marine social-ecological systems to the additional stress of climate change. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 2(5-6): 356-363, 2010.
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A broad marine policy goal is to maintain healthy marine social-ecological systems that sustain desirable ecosystem services and support human livelihoods. Marine social-ecological systems are already stressed by a number of environmental factors and the impacts of globalisation. Climate change is an additional stress that may push marine social-ecological systems beyond the ranges of past variability to which they have become adapted. Human social systems have well-developed strategies for dealing with variability within their normal ranges of experience, although these capacities are not distributed homogeneously around the globe. This paper addresses the additional impacts of climate change on marine social-ecological systems that are focussed around fishing. For example, human social fishing systems dealing with high variability upwelling systems with rapidly reproducing fish species may have greater capacities to adjust to the additional stress of climate change than human social fishing systems focussed on longer-lived and generally less variable species. The details of local impacts of climate change and its interactions with existing stresses on marine social-ecological systems are difficult to predict but will lead to more extreme events and increased uncertainty. Management must strive to enhance the adaptive capacities of these systems to uncertainty and change. Primary challenges are to address non-climate change stresses such as overfishing and how they may interact with climate change to produce surprises, and to recognise that multiple interacting time, space and organisational scales make identification and resolution of impacts difficult. Additional challenges are to develop integrated observing and modelling systems for the full social-ecological system so as to quickly recognise changes, to enhance communications with stakeholders, and to develop flexible institutions that can adjust rapidly to new circumstances.
- Ewing, L., Flick, R.E., and Synolakis, C.E. A review of coastal community vulnerabilities toward resilience benefits from disaster reduction measures. Environmental Hazards 9(3): 222-232, 2010.
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The coast has always been an area of significant hazards. In situations of community self-sufficiency, consequences of coastal hazards might be isolated to regions directly affected by the hazard. But, in the current global economy, fewer and fewer communities are isolated; damage to one location frequently has consequences around the globe and coastal community resilience can have broad-reaching benefits. Hazard responses for the built coastal environment have typically been resistance: constructing stronger buildings, enhancing natural barriers or creating artificial barriers. These approaches to hazard reduction through coastal engineering and shoreline defence efforts have been crucial to sustained coastal development. However, as coastal forces continue or magnify and resources become scarcer, resistance alone may be less effective or even unsustainable, and interest in resilience has grown. Resilience is a community's ability either to absorb destructive forces without loss of service or function, or to recover quickly from disasters. Community resilience encompasses multiple elements, ranging from governance to structural design, risk knowledge, prevention, warning systems and recovery. This paper focuses on hazards of coastal communities, and provides a review of some recent engineering efforts to improve the resilience elements of risk knowledge and disaster warnings for coastal disaster reduction.
- Carneiro, G. Marine management for human development: A review of two decades of scholarly evidence. Marine Policy 35(3): 351-362, 2011.
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This paper reviews the evidence of the impacts of marine management interventions on human development and well-being reported in marine management literature in the past two decades. Documents dealing with fisheries, aquaculture, marine conservation and coastal zone management are assessed in terms of the methodologies used, the human development dimensions considered, and the results reported. The choice of dimensions for defining human development in this literature is contrasted with proposals from the literature on the capability and human development approaches. Possible areas for future research are discussed.
- Eubig, P.A., Aguiar, A., and Schantz, S.L. Lead and PCBs as risk factors for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Environmental Health Perspectives 118(12): 1654-1667, 2010.
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OBJECTIVES: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most frequently diagnosed neurobehavioral disorder of childhood, yet its etiology is not well understood. In this review we present evidence that environmental chemicals, particularly polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and lead, are associated with deficits in many neurobehavioral functions that are also impaired in ADHD. DATA SOURCES: Human and animal studies of developmental PCB or lead exposures that assessed specific functional domains shown to be impaired in ADHD children were identified via searches of PubMed using ''lead'' or ''PCB exposure'' in combination with key words, including ''attention,'' ''working memory,'' ''response inhibition,'' ''executive function,'' ''cognitive function,'' ''behavior,'' and ''ADHD.'' DATA SYNTHESIS: Children and laboratory animals exposed to lead or PCBs show deficits in many aspects of attention and executive function that have been shown to be impaired in children diagnosed with ADHD, including tests of working memory, response inhibition, vigilance, and alertness. Studies conducted to date suggest that lead may reduce both attention and response inhibition, whereas PCBs may impair response inhibition to a greater degree than attention. Low-level lead exposure has been associated with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD in several recent studies. Similar studies of PCBs have not been conducted. CONCLUSIONS: We speculate that exposures to environmental contaminants, including lead and PCBs, may increase the prevalence of ADHD.
- Casals-Casas, C. and Desvergne, B. Endocrine disruptors: From endocrine to metabolic disruption. Annual Review of Physiology 73: 135-162, 2010.
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Synthetic chemicals currently used in a variety of industrial and agricultural applications are leading to widespread contamination of the environment. Even though the intended uses of pesticides, plasticizers, antimicrobials, and flame retardants are beneficial, effects on human health are a global concern. These so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can disrupt hormonal balance and result in developmental and reproductive abnormalities. New in vitro, in vivo, and epidemiological studies link human EDC exposure with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. Here we review the main chemical compounds that may contribute to metabolic disruption. We then present their demonstrated or suggested mechanisms of action with respect to nuclear receptor signaling. Finally, we discuss the difficulties of fairly assessing the risks linked to EDC exposure, including developmental exposure, problems of high- and low-dose exposure, and the complexity of current chemical environments.
- Mozaffarian, D., Shi, P., Morris, J.S., Spiegelman, D., Grandjean, P., Siscovick, D.S., Willett, W.C., and Rimm, E.B. Mercury exposure and risk of cardiovascular disease in two U.S. cohorts. New England Journal of Medicine 364(12): 1116-1125, 2011.
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Background Exposure to methylmercury from fish consumption has been linked to a potentially increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but evidence from prior studies is equivocal. Beneficial effects of the ingestion of fish and selenium may also modify such effects. Methods Among subjects from two U.S. cohorts (a total of 51,529 men and 121,700 women) whose toenail clippings had been stored, we prospectively identified incident cases of cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease and stroke) in 3427 participants and matched them to risk-set-sampled controls according to age, sex, race, and smoking status. Toenail mercury and selenium concentrations were assessed with the use of neutron-activation analysis. Other demographic characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, fish consumption, and lifestyle habits were assessed by means of validated questionnaires. Associations between mercury exposure and incident cardiovascular disease were evaluated with the use of conditional logistic regression. Results Median toenail mercury concentrations were 0.23 μg per gram (interdecile range, 0.06 to 0.94) in the case participants and 0.25 μg per gram (interdecile range, 0.07 to 0.97) in the controls. In multivariate analyses, participants with higher mercury exposures did not have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. For comparisons of the fifth quintile of mercury exposure with the first quintile, the relative risks were as follows: coronary heart disease, 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.69 to 1.04; P = 0.10 for trend); stroke, 0.84 (95% CI, 0.62 to 1.14; P = 0.27 for trend); and total cardiovascular disease, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.72 to 1.01; P = 0.06 for trend). Findings were similar in analyses of participants with low selenium concentrations or low overall fish consumption and in several additional sensitivity analyses. Conclusions We found no evidence of any clinically relevant adverse effects of mercury exposure on coronary heart disease, stroke, or total cardiovascular disease in U.S. adults at the exposure levels seen in this study.
- Drouillet-Pinard, P., Huel, G., Slama, R., Forhan, A., Sahuquillo, J., Goua, V., Thiébaugeorges, O., Foliguet, B., Magnin, G., Kaminski, M., Cordier, S., and Charles, M.A. Prenatal mercury contamination: relationship with maternal seafood consumption during pregnancy and fetal growth in the 'EDEN mother-child' cohort. British Journal of Nutrition 104(8): 1096-1100, 2010.
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Maternal seafood intake is of great health interest since it constitutes an important source of n-3 fatty acids, but provides also an important pathway for fetal exposure to Hg. The objective of the present study was to determine associations between Hg contamination and both maternal seafood consumption and fetal growth in French pregnant women. Pregnant women included in the 'EDEN mother-child' cohort study answered FFQ on their usual diet in the year before and during the last 3 months of pregnancy, from which frequencies of seafood intake were evaluated. Total hair-Hg level was determined for the first 691 included women. Associations between Hg level, seafood intake and several neonatal measurements were studied using linear regressions adjusted for confounding variables. The median Hg level for mothers was 0.52 µg/g. Maternal seafood intake was associated with Hg level (r 0.33; P < 0.0001). There was no association between Hg level and fetal growth in the whole sample of women, except for an early negative relationship with biparietal diameter. A positive association was found between seafood intake and fetal growth in overweight women only which remained unchanged after adjustment for Hg level (birth weight: +101 g for a difference of 1 SD in seafood consumption; P = 0.008). Although seafood intake was associated with Hg contamination in French pregnant women, the contamination level was low. There was no consistent association between Hg level and fetal growth. Taking into account Hg level did not modify associations between seafood intake and fetal growth.
- McLachlan, M.S., Czub, G., MacLeod, M., and Arnot, J.A. Bioaccumulation of organic contaminants in humans: A multimedia perspective and the importance of biotransformation. Environmental Science and Technology 45(1): 197-202, 2011.
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Bioaccumulation is an important component of the exposure hazard assessment and risk assessment of organic chemicals. Screening criteria for chemical hazard used in national and international regulations are based on the paradigm that partitioning properties are the primary chemical determinants of bioaccumulation. We use a holistic multimedia perspective to evaluate the partitioning property paradigm with respect to assessing human bioaccumulation. Multimedia bioaccumulation factors (mmBAFs) for humans were modeled for hypothetical chemicals with a wide range of physical-chemical properties. Varying partitioning properties over 12 orders of magnitude (a plausible range for nonionizing organics) resulted in only modest changes in mmBAFs (a factor of ~10) for all but very volatile or hydrophilic chemicals. In contrast, varying biotransformation rate constants over 6 orders of magnitude resulted in substantial differences in mmBAFs (greater than a factor of 109). Our model results are supported by empirical observations of well characterized pollutants, which demonstrate that chemicals with similar partitioning properties can have very different bioaccumulation behavior. Susceptibility to biotransformation clearly determines bioaccumulation in humans for many chemicals. We conclude that a holistic multimedia perspective for bioaccumulation assessment is necessary to develop regulations, criteria, and policies that are protective of human health and the environment.
- Silins, I. and Hogberg, J. Combined toxic exposures and human health: Biomarkers of exposure and effect. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 8(3): 629-647, 2011.
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Procedures for risk assessment of chemical mixtures, combined and cumulative exposures are under development, but the scientific database needs considerable expansion. In particular, there is a lack of knowledge on how to monitor effects of complex exposures, and there are few reviews on biomonitoring complex exposures. In this review we summarize articles in which biomonitoring techniques have been developed and used. Most examples describe techniques for biomonitoring effects which may detect early changes induced by many chemical stressors and which have the potential to accelerate data gathering. Some emphasis is put on endocrine disrupters acting via epigenetic mechanisms and on carcinogens. Solid evidence shows that these groups of chemicals can interact and even produce synergistic effects. They may act during sensitive time windows and biomonitoring their effects in epidemiological studies is a challenging task.
- Solomon, G.M. and Janssen, S. Health effects of the Gulf oil spill. Journal of the American Medical Association 304(10): 1118-1119, 2010.
- Goldstein, B.D., Osofsky, H.J., and Lichtveld, M.Y. The Gulf oil spill. New England Journal of Medicine 364(14): 1334-1348, 2011.
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The 2010 Gulf Oil spill was an occupational, environmental, and community health disaster. This review summarizes the contaminants of concern, toxicologic consequences for humans and the ecosystem, lessons for worker safety, and mental health consequences in the community.
- Reardon, S. Ten months after Deepwater Horizon, picking up the remnants of health data. Science 331(6022): 1252, 2011.
- Mansilla-Rivera, I. and Rodriguez-Sierra, C.J. Metal levels in fish captured in Puerto Rico and estimation of risk from fish consumption. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 60(1): 132-144, 2011.
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Exposure to metals through fish consumption may represent a health risk, especially for high-fish-consumption populations such as fishing communities in the Jobos Bay and La Parguera areas in Puerto Rico. This study determined levels of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Hg, Se, and Zn in muscle tissues of fish from the Jobos Bay and La Parguera (reference site) areas and estimated the health risk posed by fish ingestion to local fishermen and their children. Fish collected included S. cavalla (''sierra''; n = 14), M. undulatus (''roncon''; n = 21), L. synagris (''arrayado''; n = 18), and L. analis (''sama''; n = 11) in the Jobos Bay area and S. regalis (sierra; n = 10) and L. synagris (arrayado; n = 8) in La Parguera. Only As and Hg were detected at levels of human health concern. Average As and Hg levels (µg/g, wet wt) in the four species of Jobos Bay were 0.74 and 0.10 for roncon, 0.83 and 0.09 for sama, 1.00 and 0.26 for sierra, and 2.49 and 0.15 for arrayado, respectively. In La Parguera, average As and Hg levels (µg/g, wet wt) were 0.61 and 0.12 for sierra and 1.27 and 0.20 for arrayado, respectively. At both sites, the species with the highest As levels was arrayado, while for Hg, sierra obtained the highest concentrations. A risk estimation using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standard exposure factors, and assuming that 10% of total As is the inorganic form and 100% of the total Hg is methyl Hg, predicted adverse health effects (cancer and noncancer) from fish consumption, being higher for children than for adults. However, speciation of As in fish muscle is recommended for better risk estimates. Sierra fish from Jobos Bay triggered the most restricted consumption advisories for Hg noncancer effects, where a child should not consume >1 fish meal (0.1135 kg)/month and adults should not have >3 fish meals (0.227 kg)/month. Fish consumption advisories, particularly for Hg, should be established by the local government to protect the health of susceptible populations such as children and pregnant or childbearing-age women.
- Bendell, L.I. Cadmium in shellfish: the British Columbia, Canada experience – a mini-review. Toxicology Letters 198(1): 7-12, 2010.
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Over 10 years ago, research scientists in the federal department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) were alerted to the presence of high levels of cadmium, a toxic metal, in the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) cultured in British Columbia (BC), Canada waters. This mini-review summarizes the most recent published studies on levels of cadmium in shellfish from the Pacific Northwest (BC and Washington State). Recent health risk assessments with respect to the ingestion of BC oysters are presented. The review concludes with a discussion on the ethical dilemma now facing the shellfish industry in the Pacific Northwest and provides recommendations for the culturing of shellfish without fear of high cadmium levels.
- Ortiz, X., Guerra, P., Díaz-Ferrero, J., Eljarrat, E., and Barceló, D. Diastereoisomer- and enantiomer-specific determination of hexabromocyclododecane in fish oil for food and feed. Chemosphere 82(5): 739-744, 2011.
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Fish oils are one of the main sources of ω-3 fatty acids. However, they can present elevated levels of some lipophilic pollutants, such as hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs). Since data about HBCDs in fish oil samples are very limited, in this study, 25 samples of fish oil for feed and food have been analyzed. Total HBCDs, as well as, α-, β- and γ-diastereoisomers have been determined. Total HBCDs ranged from 0.09 to 26.8 ng g-1, with higher concentrations in fish oil for feed (average value of 9.69 ng g-1) than those for food (1.14 ng g-1). Concentrations of α-HBCD (average value of 4.12 ng g-1 in feed samples and 0.48 ng g-1 in food samples) and γ-HBCD (5.05 and 0.43 ng g-1 respectively) were higher than that of β-HBCD (0.52 and 0.19 ng g-1 respectively) in most of the samples. However, none of them was predominant in the samples. Concentrations of HBCDs were compared to concentrations of other pollutants and correlation between dioxin and dioxin-like PCBs levels and HBCDs levels were observed. Intake of HBCDs was calculated for fish oil with human consumption purposes and it ranged from 0.08 to 5.38 ng HBCDs d-1, which could contribute significantly to HBCDs total intake. Enantiomeric fractions were also determined. No clear enrichment was observed for γ-HBCD, while ( – )-α-HBCD enrichment was detected in some samples.
- Tapie, N., Le Menach, K., Pasquaud, S., Elie, P., Devier, M.H., and Budzinski, H. PBDE and PCB contamination of eels from the Gironde estuary: From glass eels to silver eels. Chemosphere 83(2): 175-185, 2011.
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Since the 1980s, the eel population has been decreasing dangerously. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) such as Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are one of the suspected causes of this decline. A preliminary study of PCB contamination carried out on different fish from the Gironde estuary (southwest of France, Europe) has shown a relatively high level of contamination of eel muscles. In order to characterize the contamination level of PCBs and PBDEs (PolyBrominated Diphenyl-Ethers) in eels from this estuary more than 240 eels were collected during the years 2004-2005 in the Gironde estuarine system, from glass eels to silver eels. Individual European eels were grouped according to length and localization sites. The results have shown a low contamination level of glass eels: respectively 28 ± 11 ng g-1 dw for PCBs and 5 ± 3 ng g-1 dw for PBDEs. The contamination level in eels (expressed in ng g dw) increases from glass eels to silver eels up to 3399 ng g-1 dw of PCBs for the most contaminated silver eel. Such levels of PCBs similar to those observed in Northern Europe, could raise sanitary problems connected with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. These results are worrying for the local people who regularly eat eels caught in the Gironde estuary.
- Muha, N. and Ramsdell, J.S. Domoic acid induced seizures progress to a chronic state of epilepsy in rats. Toxicon 57(1): 168-171, 2011.
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The emergence of an epilepsy syndrome in sea lions poisoned by domoic acid (DA) draws striking parallels to the single case study of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) that developed in an 84yr old man one year after being poisoned by DA. To establish a basis for understanding this disease in sea lions and humans that appears to progress from DA poisoning, we have investigated the potential for a single incident of DA poisoning in rats to progress to spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS), the hallmark of epilepsy. We have developed a DA administration protocol to induce a nonlethal status epilepticus (SE) and monitored the animals for SRS by 6h/week of video recording. We demonstrate that a single episode of SE leads to SRS in 94% of rats (n = 23) in 6 months. These findings indicate that DA induced SE can efficiently translate to epileptic disease.
- Aligizaki, K., Katikou, P., Milandri, A., and Diogène, J. Occurrence of palytoxin-group toxins in seafood and future strategies to complement the present state of the art. Toxicon 57(3): 390-399, 2011.
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Palytoxin (PlTX) and palytoxin-like (PlTX-like) compounds in seafood have been raising scientific concern in the last years. The constant increase in record numbers of the causative dinoflagellates of the genus Ostreopsis together with the large spatial expansion of this genus has led to intensification of research towards optimization of methods for determination of PlTX presence and toxicity. In this context, identification of seafood species which could possibly contain PlTXs constitutes an important issue for public health protection. In the present paper, worldwide occurrence of PlTX-like compounds in seafood is reviewed, while potential future strategies are discussed. PlTX has been reported to be present in several species of fish, crustaceans, molluscs and echinoderms. In one occasion, PlTX has been identified in freshwater puffer fish whereas all other records of PlTXs refer to marine species and have been recorded in latitudes approximately between 43ºN and 15ºS. PlTX determination in seafood has relied on different methodologies (mainly LC-MS, mouse bioassay and hemolysis neutralization assay) that have evolved over time. Future recommendations include systematic screening of PlTX in those species and areas where PlTX has already been recorded implementing updated methodologies.
- Tubaro, A., Durando, P., Del Favero, G., Ansaldi, F., Icardi, G., Deeds, J.R., and Sosa, S. Case definitions for human poisonings postulated to palytoxins exposure. Toxicon 57(3): 478-495, 2011.
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A series of case reports and anecdotal references describe the adverse effects on human health ascribed to the marine toxin palytoxin (PLTX) after different exposure routes. They include poisonings after oral intake of contaminated seafood, but also inhalation and cutaneous/systemic exposures after direct contact with aerosolized seawater during Ostreopsis blooms and/or through maintaining aquaria containing cnidarian zoanthids. The symptoms commonly recorded during PLTX intoxication are general malaise and weakness, associated with myalgia, respiratory effects, impairment of the neuromuscular apparatus and abnormalities in cardiac function. Systemic symptoms are often recorded together with local damages whose intensity varies according to the route and length of exposure. Gastrointestinal malaise or respiratory distress is common for oral and inhalational exposure, respectively. In addition, irritant properties of PLTX probably account for the inflammatory reactions typical of cutaneous and inhalational contact. Unfortunately, the toxin identification and/or quantification are often incomplete or missing and cases of poisoning are indirectly ascribed to PLTXs, according only to symptoms, anamnesis and environmental/epidemiological investigations (i.e. zoanthid handling or ingestion of particular seafood). Based on the available literature, we suggest a "case definition of PLTX poisonings" according to the main exposure routes, and, we propose the main symptoms to be checked, as well as, hemato-clinical analysis to be carried out. We also suggest the performance of specific analyses both on biological specimens of patients, as well as, on the contaminated materials responsible for the poisoning. A standardized protocol for data collection could provide a more rapid and reliable diagnosis of palytoxin-poisoning, but also the collection of necessary data for the risk assessment for this family of toxins.
- Liu, R., Liang, Y., Wu, X., Xu, D., Liu, Y., and Liu, L. First report on the detection of pectenotoxin groups in Chinese shellfish by LC–MS/MS. Toxicon 57(7-8): 1000-1007, 2011.
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Chinese shellfish samples were harvested from different locations along the Chinese coast. These shellfish were analyzed by liquid chromatography in combination with mass spectrometry to detect the following toxins: okadaic acid (OA), dinophysistoxins (DTXs), pectenotoxins (PTXs), azaspiracids (AZAs), yessotoxins (YTXs), spirlides (SPXs) and gymnodimines (GYM). The results revealed the lipophilic toxin profiles varied with shellfish sampling locations. In addition to OA, GYM and YTX derivatives, PTX-2 and its derivatives were found for the first time in the following Chinese shellfish: Crassostrea gigas, Mactra chinensis and Mytilus galloprovincialis. The presence of GYM, YTXs, OA and PTXs in Chinese shellfish collected from regions where no previous record of DSP-neutral toxic compounds was reported. Serious efforts should therefore be made to conduct a phycotoxin monitoring program to detect the presence of lipophilic toxins in biological materials of marine origin, which may ensure that Chinese seafood products do not present a health risk. With respect to suspected carcinogenicity, further research on the distribution and concentrations of toxic compounds are needed, in order to carry out long-term risk assessments, particularly sub-acute and chronic toxicity tests associated with of lower doses.
- Kirkpatrick, B. et al. Aerosolized red tide toxins (brevetoxins) and asthma: Continued health effects after 1 h beach exposure. Harmful Algae 10(2): 138-143, 2011.
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Blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, produce potent neurotoxins in marine aerosols. Recent studies have demonstrated acute changes in both symptoms and pulmonary function in asthmatics after only 1 h of beach exposure to these aerosols. This study investigated if there were latent and/or sustained effects in asthmatics in the days following the initial beach exposure during periods with and without an active Florida red tide. Symptom data and spirometry data were collected before and after 1 h of beach exposure. Subjects kept daily symptom diaries and measured their peak flow each morning for 5 days following beach exposure. During non-exposure periods, there were no significant changes in symptoms or pulmonary function either acutely or over 5 days of follow-up. After the beach exposure during an active Florida red tide, subjects had elevated mean symptoms which did not return to the pre-exposure baseline for at least 4 days. The peak flow measurements decreased after the initial beach exposure, decreased further within 24 h, and continued to be suppressed even after 5 days. Asthmatics may continue to have increased symptoms and delayed respiratory function suppression for several days after 1 h of exposure to the Florida red tide toxin aerosols.
- Fleming, L.E. et al. Review of Florida red tide and human health effects. Harmful Algae 10(2): 224-233, 2011.
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This paper reviews the literature describing research performed over the past decade on the known and possible exposures and human health effects associated with Florida red tides. These harmful algal blooms are caused by the dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, and similar organisms, all of which produce a suite of natural toxins known as brevetoxins. Florida red tide research has benefited from a consistently funded, long-term research program, that has allowed an interdisciplinary team of researchers to focus their attention on this specific environmental issue – one that is critically important to Gulf of Mexico and other coastal communities. This long-term interdisciplinary approach has allowed the team to engage the local community, identify measures to protect public health, take emerging technologies into the field, forge advances in natural products chemistry, and develop a valuable pharmaceutical product. The review includes a brief discussion of the Florida red tide organisms and their toxins, and then focuses on the effects of these toxins on animals and humans, including how these effects predict what we might expect to see in exposed people.
- Shoemaker, R.C., House, D., and Ryan, J.C. Defining the neurotoxin derived illness chronic ciguatera using markers of chronic systemic inflammatory disturbances: A case/control study. Neurotoxicology and Teratology 32(6): 633-639, 2010.
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Background Ciguatoxins are extremely potent neurotoxins, produced by tropical marine dinoflagellates, that persistently enter into our food web. Over 100,000 people annually experience acute ciguatera poisoning from consuming toxic fish. Roughly 5% of these victims will develop chronic ciguatera (CC), a widespread, multisymptom, multisystem, chronic illness that can last tens of years. CC is marked by disproportionate disability and non-specific refractory symptoms such as fatigue, cognitive deficits and pain, and is suggestive of other illnesses. Its unknown pathophysiology makes both diagnosis and treatment difficult. Objectives We wanted to compare objective parameters of visual contrast sensitivity testing, measures of innate immune response and genetic markers in cases to controls to assess the potential for the presence of persistent inflammatory parameters that are demonstrated in other biotoxin associated illnesses at a single specialty clinic. Methods Using 59 CC cases and 59 controls we present in retrospective review, in all cases, abnormalities in immune responses paralleling the chronic systemic inflammatory response syndrome seen in several other chronic diseases. Results This study defines a preliminary case definition using medical history, total symptoms, visual contrast sensitivity, HLA DR genotype analysis, reduction of regulatory neuropeptides VIP and MSH, and multiple measures of inflammatory immune response, especially C4a and TGFβ1, thereby providing a basis for identification and targeted therapy. Conclusions CC provides a model for chronic human illness associated with initiation of inflammatory responses by biologically produced neurotoxins.
- Fernández-Ortega, J.F., Morales-de los Santos, J.M., Herrera-Gutiérrez, M.E., Fernández-Sánchez, V., Rodríguez Loureo, P., Rancaño, A.A., and Téllez-Andrade, A. Seafood intoxication by tetrodotoxin: First case in Europe. Journal of Emergency Medicine 39(5): 612-617, 2010.
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Tetrodotoxin is considered the most lethal toxin in the marine environment. Prior cases of intoxication previously described correspond to consumption of tetrodotoxin in tropical or subtropical regions of Asia or the Pacific Islands. Objectives: We present the first European case of tetrodotoxin intoxication in a patient who ingested part of a trumpet shellfish (Charonia sauliae) from the Atlantic Ocean in Southern Europe. Case Report: Our patient suffered general paralysis, including the respiratory muscles, a few minutes after the consumption of a few grams of C. sauliae. Intubation and mechanical ventilation were necessary for 52 h after the intoxication. The corresponding electrophysiologic studies showed complete non-excitability, with no recordable sensory or motor nerve conduction. We detected the presence of tetrodotoxin in the mollusk and the patient's blood and urine by means of high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis technique. A previous bioassay showed extremely high quantities of the toxin in the mollusk. Conclusions: This case alerts us to the possibility of a very harmful biotoxin in European coastal waters. This now should be included in the differential diagnosis of similar cases in Europe, and we must be vigilant for its possible presence in Europe.
- Fernandez, I., Valladolid, G., Varon, J., and Sternbach, G. Encounters with venomous sea-life. Journal of Emergency Medicine 40(1): 103-112, 2011.
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Sea-life with envenomation capabilities are quite abundant and diverse worldwide, being predominantly found in tropical waters. Most envenomations occur not as an attack, but as a result of self defense when the animal perceives danger; and often when locals or tourists are engaged in recreational activities. Most of these cases have only minor injuries, and few are fatal. Objectives: To describe the impact, clinical features, and management of life-threatening marine envenomations. Discussion: Recognition of the injury and identification of the responsible animal is crucial for quick and successful management. Medical professionals should be cognizant of presenting symptoms such as respiratory distress, muscle paralysis, or cardiovascular decompensation. For these patients, antivenom should be given immediately if available, followed by pharmacological and physical therapy to relieve symptoms and pain. If any foreign bodies are left at the site of the injury, they must be removed. Tetanus prophylaxis should also be considered in case of puncture, and if signs of early infection are present, broad-spectrum antibiotics should be administered. Conclusion: Management of envenomations from marine animals should be emphasized not only to health centers, but also to the general population, so that initial treatment can be started as soon as possible. Educational programs regarding risks and initial management for these incidents are also recommended to reduce the incidence and associated morbidity and mortality of the encounters.
- Islam, Q.T. et al. Puffer fish poisoning in Bangladesh: clinical and toxicological results from large outbreaks in 2008. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 105(2): 74-80, 2011.
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Poisoning after eating puffer fish containing highly lethal tetrodotoxin (TTX) is widespread in Asia. In 2008, naïve inland populations in Bangladesh were exposed to cheap puffer fish sold on markets. In three outbreaks, 141 patients with history of puffer fish consumption were hospitalized. Symptoms of poisoning included perioral paraesthesia, tingling over the entire body, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, headache, abdominal pain and muscular paralysis of the limbs. Seventeen patients (12%) died from rapidly developing respiratory arrest. Blood and urine samples from 38 patients were analyzed using a TTX-specific enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). Medium to high TTX levels were detected (1.7-13.7 ng/ml) in the blood of 27 patients. TTX was below detection level (< 1.6 ng/ml) in 11 blood samples but the toxin was detected in urine. Ten patients had blood levels above 9 ng/ml and developed paralysis; seven of these died. The remaining patients recovered with supportive treatment. High concentrations of TTX and its analogues 4-epiTTX and 4,9-anhydroTTX were also found in cooked puffer fish by post-column liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection. To prevent future instances of puffer fish poisoning of this magnitude, measures should be implemented to increase awareness, to control markets and to establish toxicological testing. To improve the management of this and other poisoning in Bangladesh, facilities for life-saving assisted ventilation and related training of healthcare personnel are urgently needed at all levels of the health system.
- Kerbrat, A.S., Amzil, Z., Pawlowiez, R., Golubic, S., Sibat, M., Darius, H.T., Chinain, M., and Laurent, D. First evidence of palytoxin and 42-hydroxy-palytoxin in the marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium. Marine Drugs 9(4): 543-560, 2011.
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Marine pelagic diazotrophic cyanobacteria of the genus Trichodesmium (Oscillatoriales) are widespread throughout the tropics and subtropics, and are particularly common in the waters of New Caledonia. Blooms of Trichodesmium are suspected to be a potential source of toxins in the ciguatera food chain and were previously reported to contain several types of paralyzing toxins. The toxicity of water-soluble extracts of Trichodesmium spp. were analyzed by mouse bioassay and Neuroblastoma assay and their toxic compounds characterized using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry techniques. Here, we report the first identification of palytoxin and one of its derivatives, 42-hydroxy-palytoxin, in field samples of Trichodesmium collected in the New Caledonian lagoon. The possible role played by Trichodesmium blooms in the development of clupeotoxism, this human intoxication following the ingestion of plankton-eating fish and classically associated with Ostreopsis blooms, is also discussed.
- Smith, K.F. and Guégan, J.-F. Changing geographic distributions of human pathogens. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 41: 231-250, 2010.
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Since the rise of modern humans, changes in demography and land use and frequent contact with wildlife and domesticated animals have created ongoing opportunities for pathogen loss, gain, and evolution in the human population. Early transportation networks and population expansion created a world where many human-specific pathogens are now ubiquitous, yet zoonoses continue to emerge as humans encroach into the last remaining wild areas, increase livestock production, and plug into vast global trade networks. Pathogens are exploiting almost any change in human ecology that provides new opportunities for transmission, the most recent being rampant use of antibiotics resulting in new multidrug-resistant pathogens. Public health advances have benefitted some nations, but others continue to suffer from pathogens long eradicated by developed nations. Generalities of pathogen occurrence aid in disease prediction, but a systemic approach incorporating ecology, biogeography, public health, and conservation biology is ultimately necessary to fully comprehend the changing geographic distributions of human pathogens.
- Weis, K.E., Hammond, R.M., Hutchinson, R., and Blackmore, C.G.M. Vibrio illness in Florida, 1998–2007. Epidemiology and Infection 139(4): 591-598, 2011.
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This study characterized the current epidemiology of vibrio infections in Florida and examined cases reported from 1998 to 2007. Logistic regression was used to determine risk of death. There were 834 vibrio infections in 825 individuals (average annual incidence rate 4·8/1 000 000). Common Vibrio species reported were Vibrio vulnificus (33%), V. parahaemolyticus (29%), and V. alginolyticus (16%). Most exposures were attributed to wounds (42%), and the most common clinical syndromes were wound infections (45%) and gastroenteritis (42%). Almost half of individuals reported an underlying health condition. Risk of death was associated with any underlying condition and increased with the number of conditions (P < 0·0001). In Florida, incidence of vibriosis associated with raw oyster consumption has decreased while incidence associated with wound infections has increased. Most prevention efforts to date have focused on oyster consumption. New educational messages focusing on the risk of vibriosis from wound infections should target high-risk populations.
- Canigral, I., Moreno, Y., Alonso, J.L., Gonzalez, A., and Ferrus, M.A. Detection of Vibrio vulnificus in seafood, seawater and wastewater samples from a Mediterranean coastal area. Microbiological Research 165(8): 657-664, 2010.
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Vibrio vulnificus is an opportunistic human pathogen that may cause gastroenteritis, severe necrotizing soft-tissue infections and primary septicaemia, with a high lethality rate. Illness is associated to ingestion of seafood or to the exposure of contaminated water. The aim of this work was to determine the occurrence of V. vulnificus in water and seafood samples from a coastal area near the Mediterranean (Valencia, Spain). A TaqMan probe-based real-time PCR assay was optimised and applied to 22 sea water, 42 raw sewage and 40 seafood samples. Results were compared with those obtained for culture isolation. The detection level of the PCR assay was 10 CFU g-1 in inoculated samples. Seven seawater, four shellfish and six wastewater samples were positive by real time PCR. V. vulnificus was isolated from two oyster, three sea water and two wastewater samples. All the strains were obtained after 20 h enrichment, except for wastewater strains, which were isolated directly from the sample. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the isolation of V. vulnificus from sewage in Spain. Our results about the presence of V. vulnificus in food and environmental samples are strong enough to consider that the organism may represent a human health hazard in our geographical area.
- Quilici, M.-L., Massenet, D., Gake, B., Bwalki, B., and Olson, D.M. Vibrio cholerae O1 variant with reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, Western Africa. Emerging Infectious Diseases 16(11): 1804-1805, 2010.
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- Cazorla, C., Guigon, A., Noel, M., Quilici, M.-L., and Lacassin, F. Fatal Vibrio vulnificus infection associated with eating raw oysters, New Caledonia. Emerging Infectious Diseases 17(1): 136-137, 2011.
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- Rosewell, A. et al. Vibrio cholerae O1 in 2 coastal villages, Papua New Guinea. Emerging Infectious Diseases 17(1): 154-155, 2011.
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- Horseman, M.A. and Surani, S. A comprehensive review of Vibrio vulnificus: an important cause of severe sepsis and skin and soft-tissue infection. International Journal of Infectious Diseases 15(3): 157-166, 2011.
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Vibrio vulnificus is a halophilic Gram-negative bacillus found worldwide in warm coastal waters. The pathogen has the ability to cause primary sepsis in certain high-risk populations, including patients with chronic liver disease, immunodeficiency, iron storage disorders, end-stage renal disease, and diabetes mellitus. Most reported cases of primary sepsis in the USA are associated with the ingestion of raw or undercooked oysters harvested from the Gulf Coast. The mortality rate for patients with severe sepsis is high, exceeding 50% in most reported series. Other clinical presentations include wound infection and gastroenteritis. Mild to moderate wound infection and gastroenteritis may occur in patients without obvious risk factors. Severe wound infection is often characterized by necrotizing skin and soft-tissue infection, including fasciitis and gangrene. V. vulnificus possesses several virulence factors, including the ability to evade destruction by stomach acid, capsular polysaccharide, lipopolysaccharide, cytotoxins, pili, and flagellum. The preferred antimicrobial therapy is doxycycline in combination with ceftazidime and surgery for necrotizing soft-tissue infection.
- Feng, F., Goto, D., and Yan, T. Effects of autochthonous microbial community on the die-off of fecal indicators in tropical beach sand. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 74(1): 214-225, 2010.
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The recently observed high levels of fecal indicators in beach sand confound beach water monitoring efforts. The high levels of fecal indicators may be caused by the loss or the reduced activities of common environmental stresses controlling die-off in the sand. Microcosm experiments were conducted to compare the effects of biotic stresses from autochthonous sand bacteria, protozoa, and viruses on Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis in two tropical beach sands. The inhibition of protozoan activities by cycloheximide did not significantly affect the die-off of E. coli, indicating that protozoan predation played a limited role in beach sand. The contribution from phage infection to E. coli die-off was also negligible. Consequently, autochthonous bacteria were identified as the predominant biotic stress to the die-off of E. coli in beach sand. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that the beach sand had a very low protozoan concentration and low protozoan growth potential when compared with various environmental samples. Co-culturing of E. coli with autochthonous sand bacterial isolates significantly enhanced E. coli die-off. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis revealed a complex sand bacterial community, suggesting that bacterial antagonistic effects may be widespread. The study also found that E. faecalis exhibited a much longer survival in beach sand compared with E. coli.
- Halliday, E. and Gast, R.J. Bacteria in beach sands: An emerging challenge in protecting coastal water quality and bather health. Environmental Science and Technology 45(2): 370-379, 2011.
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To protect bather health at recreational beaches, fecal indicator bacterial standards are used to monitor water quality, and waters exceeding the standards are subsequently closed to bathers. However beachgoers are also in contact with beach sands, the sanitary quality of which is not included within beach monitoring programs. In fact sands and sediments provide habitat where fecal bacterial populations may persist, and in some cases grow, in the coastal zone. Specific pathogens are less well studied in beach sands and sediments, but there is a body of evidence that they too may persist in these environments. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge regarding the abundance and distribution of fecal indicator bacteria and pathogens in beach sands of diverse climatological regions, and at beaches subjected to varied levels of anthropogenic impact. In all regions fecal indicator bacteria are nearly ubiquitous in beach sands, and similar relationships emerge among fecal indicator abundance in dry sand, submerged sands, and water. Taken together, these studies contextualize a potential public health issue and identify research questions that must be addressed in order to support future policy decisions.
- Twing, K.I., Kirchman, D.L., and Campbell, B.J. Temporal study of Helicobacter pylori presence in coastal freshwater, estuary and marine waters. Water Research 45(4): 1897-1905, 2011.
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Helicobacter pylori, a gastric pathogen, is believed to be transmitted via the fecal-oral route as well as the oral-oral route. Its presence and viability in environmental waters is not well characterized. The goals of this study were to test H. pylori presence via molecular methods in freshwater, estuarine and beach sites in Delaware over both short and long time scales and to establish whether fecal indicator bacteria, including total Enterococcus and human-specific Bacteroidetes species, are predictive of the pathogen in these waters. The presence of Helicobacter pylori was initially tested by PCR with newly designed 23S rRNA gene primers against Helicobacter spp. and confirmed by sequencing. Two coastal beach sites were repeatedly positive in 2007. Clone library analysis indicated the persistence of one operational taxonomic unit (OTU) over time at one site. Detection of H. pylori was also determined by PCR assays from DNA and RNA for the 16S rRNA gene, as well as DNA for the ureA and cagA genes. Approximately 21% of the samples were positive for H. pylori 16S rRNA gene and 80% of those were also positive for H. pylori 16S rRNA, indicating that this potential pathogen is not only present in natural waters, but also probably viable. There was no correlation between the occurrence of H. pylori and fecal indicator bacteria, suggesting that standard water quality tests are ineffective in predicting the presence of this pathogen in natural waters. These results demonstrate the widespread presence of potentially viable H. pylori in coastal marine and estuarine waters. Additionally, the repeatedly positive samples indicate either a continual contamination source or persistence of H. pylori in marine waters.
- Wyn-Jones, A.P. et al. Surveillance of adenoviruses and noroviruses in European recreational waters. Water Research 45(3): 1025-1038, 2011.
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Exposure to human pathogenic viruses in recreational waters has been shown to cause disease outbreaks. In the context of Article 14 of the revised European Bathing Waters Directive 2006/7/EC (rBWD, CEU, 2006) a Europe-wide surveillance study was carried out to determine the frequency of occurrence of two human enteric viruses in recreational waters. Adenoviruses were selected based on their near-universal shedding and environmental survival, and noroviruses (NoV) selected as being the most prevalent gastroenteritis agent worldwide. Concentration of marine and freshwater samples was done by adsorption/elution followed by molecular detection by (RT)-PCR. Out of 1410 samples, 553 (39.2%) were positive for one or more of the target viruses. Adenoviruses, detected in 36.4% of samples, were more prevalent than noroviruses (9.4%), with 3.5% GI and 6.2% GII, some samples being positive for both GI and GII. Of 513 human adenovirus-positive samples, 63 (12.3%) were also norovirus-positive, whereas 69 (7.7%) norovirus-positive samples were adenovirus-negative. More freshwater samples than marine water samples were virus-positive. Out of a small selection of samples tested for adenovirus infectivity, approximately one-quarter were positive. Sixty percent of 132 nested-PCR adenovirus-positive samples analysed by quantitative PCR gave a mean value of over 3000 genome copies per L of water. The simultaneous detection of infectious adenovirus and of adenovirus and NoV by (RT)PCR suggests that the presence of infectious viruses in recreational waters may constitute a public health risk upon exposure. These studies support the case for considering adenoviruses as an indicator of bathing water quality.
- Rodrigues, V., Ramaiah, N., Kakti, S., and Samant, D. Long-term variations in abundance and distribution of sewage pollution indicator and human pathogenic bacteria along the central west coast of India. Ecological Indicators 11(2): 318-327, 2011.
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Safe water quality criteria on the load and types of microbial populations are important for human use from fishery, tourism and navigational viewpoints. To understand the variations in sewage pollution indicator and certain human pathogenic bacteria, data collected from various locations along central west coast of India during 2002-2007 were analyzed. Water and sediment samples were examined for total viable counts (TVC), pollution indicator bacteria (total coliforms - TC, fecal coliforms - FC and Escherichia coli - EC) and potential pathogens (Vibrio cholerae - VC, Shigella - SH, and Salmonella spp. - SA). In both Mandovi and Zuari estuaries, where fishing and tourist-related activities are sizable and long-term data collection was regular, we observed high counts of TC, FC, VC, SH and SA in particular during monsoon due to increased land runoff. Further, the abundance of TC and FC has increased significantly over the years in the water column to much above either USEPA or India permissible limits. The concentrations of Vibrio cholerae, and Shigella correlated with those of coliforms. Pathogenic bacteria were detected even 20 km and/or 25 km offshore mainly due to dumping of raw or improperly treated sewage effluents either from land, fishing trawlers and/or ships in the anchorage. Higher concentrations of fecal coliforms and pathogenic bacteria in neretic waters signify threats to environmental and human health.
- Papastergiou, P., Mouchtouri, V.A., Rachiotis, G., Pinaka, O., Katsiaflaka, A., and Hadjichristodoulou, C. Bather density as a predominant factor for health effects related to recreational bathing: Results from the Greek bathers cohort study. Marine Pollution Bulletin 62(3): 590-595, 2011.
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Our aim was to examine the health effects on bathers from exposure to recreational seawater on three beaches with different microbiology quality and bather density through a cohort study. An initial questionnaire and a 10 day follow up were used. Univariate and backward logistic regression analyses were used to asses the risk of developing symptoms or diseases among the bathers. In total, 3805 bathers were included in the study and 149 samples were collected from the three beaches. Despite all the beaches being characterized of high quality the levels of bacterial indicators differed among them. Health effects among bathers were not associated with bacterial indicators. A statistically significant increased risk for symptoms related to respiratory illness, gastroenteritis, medical consultation and use of medication was observed among bathers at the higher bather density beaches. Beach bather numbers should always be taken into account when considering a risk assessment approach.
- Lincoln, R.A., Shine, J.P., Chesney, E.J., Vorhees, D.J., Grandjean, P., and Senn, D.B. Fish consumption and mercury exposure among Louisiana recreational anglers. Environmental Health Perspectives 119(2): 245-251, 2011.
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BACKGROUND: Methylmercury (MeHg) exposure assessments among average fish consumers in the United States may underestimate exposures among U.S. subpopulations with high intakes of regionally specific fish. OBJECTIVES: We examined relationships among fish consumption, estimated mercury (Hg) intake, and measured Hg exposure within one such potentially highly exposed group, recreational anglers in the state of Louisiana, USA. Methods: We surveyed 534 anglers in 2006 using interviews at boat launches and fishing tournaments combined with an Internet-based survey method. Hair samples from 402 of these anglers were collected and analyzed for total Hg. Questionnaires provided information on species-specific fish consumption during the 3 months before the survey. RESULTS: Anglers' median hair Hg concentration was 0.81 µg/g (n = 398; range, 0.02 - 10.7 µg/g); 40% of participants had levels >1 µg/g, which approximately corresponds to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's reference dose. Fish consumption and Hg intake were significantly positively associated with hair Hg. Participants reported consuming nearly 80 different fish types, many of which are specific to the region. Unlike the general U.S. population, which acquires most of its Hg from commercial seafood sources, approximately 64% of participants' fish meals and 74% of their estimated Hg intake came from recreationally caught seafood. CONCLUSIONS: Study participants had relatively elevated hair Hg concentrations and reported consumption of a wide variety of fish, particularly locally caught fish. This group represents a highly exposed subpopulation with an exposure profile that differs from fish consumers in other regions of the United States, suggesting a need for more regionally specific exposure estimates and public health advisories.
- Ström, S., Helmfrid, I., Glynn, A., and Berglund, M. Nutritional and toxicological aspects of seafood consumption – An integrated exposure and risk assessment of methylmercury and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Environmental Research 111(2): 274-280, 2011.
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Seafood consumption is associated with both risks and beneficial effects to human health. Consequently, an integrated exposure assessment of intake of toxic and nutritious agents in seafood is of importance prior to determination of dietary advisories. We have developed a probabilistic model for the estimation of simultaneous intake of methylmercury (MeHg) and long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-n3 PUFAs) from seafood, to estimate the population proportion at risk for exceeding tolerable MeHg intake and not reaching adequate intake of PUFAs. Seafood consumption data was collected among women of childbearing age using a food frequency questionnaire. A database of mercury and fatty acids concentration in seafood was constructed. A Latin Hypercube simulation was used to calculate the intake of MeHg and LC n-3 PUFAs. Eleven percent of the population exceeded the MeHg reference dose of 0.1 µg/kg bw/day, whereas only 44% reached an adequate PUFA intake. A small proportion (3.7%) exceeded the MeHg reference dose while at the same time did not reach an adequate PUFA intake. Furthermore, we simulated two scenarios in which seafood is consumed according to a general recommendation of three servings per week, whereof one serving of oily seafood. The first scenario included seafood with typically low MeHg concentrations (mean 0.056 and 0.027 µg MeHg/g fish in lean and oily species, respectively), and the second included seafood typically high in MeHg concentrations (mean 0.50 and 0.26 µg MeHg/g fish in lean and oily species, respectively). In the ''high''scenario, almost 100% of the population exceeded the reference dose, whereas the corresponding proportion was only 5% in the ''low'' scenario. Overall, the results stress the importance of communicating species specific seafood consumption advisories for women of childbearing age in general and for pregnant women in particular, while at the same time encourage them to consume more seafood.
- Lando, A.M. and Zhang, Y.T. Awareness and knowledge of methylmercury in fish in the United States. Environmental Research 111(3): 442-450, 2011.
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In the 1970s several states in the Great Lakes region became concerned about mercury contamination in lakes and rivers and were the first to issue local fish consumption advisories. In 2001, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised pregnant women, nursing mothers, young children, and women who may become pregnant not to consume shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish and recommended that these women not exceed 12 ounces of other fish per week. In 2004, FDA reissued this advice jointly with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and modified it slightly to provide information about consumption of canned tuna and more details about consumption of recreationally caught fish. Though several studies have examined consumers' awareness of the joint FDA and EPA advisory as well as different state advisories, few used representative data. We examined the changes in awareness and knowledge of mercury as a problem in fish using the pooled nationally representative 2001 and 2006 Food Safety Surveys (FSS) with sample sizes of 4482 in 2001 and 2275 in 2006. Our results indicated an increase in consumers' awareness of mercury as a problem in fish (69% in 2001 to 80% in 2006, p < .001). In our regression models, we found that in both years, parents having children less than 5 years of age were more aware of mercury in fish and knowledgeable about the information contained in the national advisories about mercury in fish (p < .01) than other adults. In both 2001 and 2006, women of childbearing age (aged 18-45) were less aware and knowledgeable about this information than other women. However, women of all age groups had larger gains in awareness and knowledge than their male counterparts during this time. Participants' race, education, income, region, fish preparation experiences, having a foodborne illness in the past year, and risk perceptions about the safety of food were significant predictors of their awareness and knowledge.
- Assmuth, T. Policy and science implications of the framing and qualities of uncertainty in risks: Toxic and beneficial fish from the Baltic Sea. Ambio 40(2): 158-169, 2011.
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Policy and research issues in the framing and qualities of uncertainties in risks are analyzed, based on the assessments of dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) and other ingredients in Baltic Sea fish, a high-profile case of governance. Risks are framed broadly, to then focus on dioxins and beneficial fatty acids, fish consumption, human health, and science-management links. Hierarchies of uncertainty (data, model, decision rule, and epistemic) and ambiguity (of values) are used to identify issues of scientific and policy contestation and opportunities for resolving them. The associated complexity of risks is illustrated by risk-benefit analyses of fish consumption and by evaluations of guideline values, highlighting value contents and policy factors in presumably scientific decision criteria, and arguments used in multi-dimensional risk and benefit comparisons. These comparisons pose challenges to narrow assessments centered, for e.g., on toxicants or on food benefits, and to more many-sided and balanced risk communication and management. It is shown that structured and contextualized treatment of uncertainties and ambiguities in a reflexive approach can inform balances between wide and narrow focus, detail and generality, and evidence and precaution.
- Stokes-Riner, A., Thurston, S.W., Myers, G.J., Duffy, E.M., Wallace, J., Bonham, M., Robson, P., Shamlaye, C.F., Strain, J.J., Watson, G., and Davidson, P.W. A longitudinal analysis of prenatal exposure to methylmercury and fatty acids in the Seychelles. Neurotoxicology and Teratology 33(2): 325-328, 2011.
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Background Maternal fish consumption during pregnancy exposes the fetus simultaneously to methylmercury (MeHg) and long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA). Data from the Seychelles Child Development Nutrition Study (SCDNS) showed a negative association of MeHg with child development when children were 30 months of age, only when controlling for LCPUFA. Concomitantly, n-3 LCPUFA were found to have a significant positive association only at 9 months. These findings suggest that the effects of MeHg and LCPUFA may vary with age over the first few years of life. We address this by including outcomes at two ages and adjusting for the child's age at testing. Methods A longitudinal analysis utilizing linear mixed models was performed to assess the associations of maternal hair total mercury (THg, a biomarker for MeHg) and maternal LCPUFA with children's Bayley Scales of Infant Development Psychomotor Developmental Index (BSID-II PDI) at 9 and 30 months of age, and to determine whether these associations change over time. Data from 228 children were included. Results Maternal hair MeHg had a negative effect on BSID PDI, while maternal n-3 LCPUFA had a positive effect. These effects did not change significantly from 9 to 30 months in this analysis. Conclusions The longitudinal analysis provides increased power for estimating the relationships of prenatal MeHg and LCPUFA exposures during child development. Significant associations of these exposures in opposite directions confirm the importance of LCPUFA in development and the need to adjust for maternal nutrition when studying prenatal MeHg exposure.
- Tian, W.J., Egeland, G.M., Sobol, I., and Chan, H.M. Mercury hair concentrations and dietary exposure among Inuit preschool children in Nunavut, Canada. Environment International 37(1): 42-48, 2011.
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There is concern that the traditional diet is a source of mercury exposure among Inuit in the Canadian Arctic. Mercury exposure in utero and in early childhood presents a risk to neurodevelopment. The objectives of the present study were to assess the dietary mercury exposure from traditional food among Inuit children 3 to 5 years of age in Nunavut, and evaluate the association between estimated dietary mercury intake and body burden. A cross-sectional Nunavut Inuit Child Health Survey was conducted in 2007 and 2008 which included assessment of dietary habits and children's hair mercury (Hg) levels. Further, an Inuit Adult Health Survey was conducted in the same years which included assessment of dietary habits and whole blood mercury concentrations. Traditional food samples were collected during this study and previously from the Canadian Arctic. Daily mercury intake from traditional food was calculated. Body mercury burden was determined using the hair mercury concentration. The geometric mean of children's hair Hg was 0.66 µg/g and varied by region. Nearly 25% of children had hair Hg concentrations equal to or higher than 2 µg/g (WHO reference level). There was a significant correlation between mercury levels in children's hair and that of the adults in the same household. For children, beluga muktuk, narwhal muktuk, ringed seal liver, fish, caribou meat and ringed seal meat were the major dietary sources of mercury. These food items together accounted for over 95% of total daily dietary mercury intake. A positive linear regression relationship between children's hair mercury levels and estimated dietary mercury intake was observed. Estimated intake in Baffin decreased by 30% compared to 20 years ago. Some traditional food items were significant sources of mercury to Inuit children in Nunavut. Although a reduction in the consumption of these diet items may be a way to reduce mercury intake, the nutritional, social and cultural benefits of traditional food and countervailing risks must be taken into account in risk mitigation.
- Miranda, M.L., Edwards, S., and Maxson, P.J. Mercury levels in an urban pregnant population in Durham County, North Carolina. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 8(3): 698-712, 2011.
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The adverse effects of prenatal mercury exposure, most commonly resulting from maternal fish consumption, have been detected at very low exposure levels. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, however, have been shown to support fetal brain and vision development. Using data from a prospective, cohort study of pregnant women from an inland area in the US South, we sought to understand the fish consumption habits and associated mercury levels across subpopulations. Over 30% of women had at least 1 µg/L of mercury in their blood, and about 2% had blood mercury levels above the level of concern during pregnancy (≥3.5 µg/L). Mercury levels were higher among Asian/Pacific Islander, older, higher educated, and married women. Fish consumption from any source was reported by 2/3 of the women in our study, with older women more likely to consume fish. Despite eating more fish meals per week, lower income, lower educated women had lower blood mercury levels than higher income, higher educated women. This suggests the different demographic groups consume different types of fish. Encouraging increased fish consumption while minimizing mercury exposure requires careful crafting of a complex health message.
- Watkins, B.A., Hutchins, H., Li, Y., and Seifert, M.F. The endocannabinoid signaling system: a marriage of PUFA and musculoskeletal health. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 21(12): 1141-1152, 2010.
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The role of diet in health and diseases related to muscle and bone has been an area of active study. Recently, endocannabinoids (EC), endogenous derivatives of arachidonic acid, an omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), have been discovered to play regulatory roles in bone mass and muscle energy metabolism. This signaling system consists of the G-protein coupled cannabinoid receptors, CBI and CB2, expressed in central and peripheral tissues and cells, which are variably activated by the production and on demand release of endogenous and synthetic agonists and antagonists. We propose that the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 (n-3) PUFA is an important modifier for the activation and suppression of endocannabinoid receptors and therefore, downstream signaling actions in cells. The potential of dietary PUFA to regulate this signaling system to influence the metabolic and physiological outcomes favorable to musculoskeletal health is the purpose of this review. The important role of n-3 PUFA in metabolic and physiological processes that attenuate muscle and bone loss under conditions of disease and stress is one aspect described herein. In this review, we first introduce the EC agonists (ligands) and their receptors (CB1 and 032) and the general actions of EC signaling in various organs and systems. Second, we describe EC signaling in bone and muscle and how dietary PUFA influence the levels of endogenous agonists. Third, we discuss the potential implications of how dietary PUFA impact this system to minimize muscle atrophy and osteopenia and support healthy muscle development and bone modeling.
- Cole, G.M., Ma, Q.L., and Frautschy, S.A. Dietary fatty acids and the aging brain. Nutrition Reviews 68(12): S102-S111, 2010.
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Aging contributes to physiological decline and vulnerability to disease. In the brain, even with minimal neuronal loss, aging increases oxidative damage, inflammation, demyelination, impaired processing, and metabolic deficits, particularly during pathological brain aging. In this review, the possible role of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the prevention of age-related disruption of brain function is discussed. High-fat diabetogenic diets, cholesterol, and the omega-6 fatty acid arachidonate and its prostaglandin metabolites have all been implicated in promoting the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Evidence presented here shows DHA acts to oppose this, exerting a plethora of pleiotropic activities to protect against the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
- Boucher, O., Burden, M.J., Muckle, G., Saint-Amour, D., Ayotte, P., Dewailly, E., Nelson, C.A., Jacobson, S.W., and Jacobson, J.L. Neurophysiologic and neurobehavioral evidence of beneficial effects of prenatal omega-3 fatty acid intake on memory function at school age. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 93(5): 1025-1037, 2011.
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Background: The beneficial effects of prenatal and early postnatal intakes of omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on cognitive development during infancy are well recognized. However, few studies have examined the extent to which these benefits continue to be evident in childhood. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relation of n-3 PUFAs and seafood-contaminant intake with memory function in school-age children from a fish-eating community. Design: In a prospective, longitudinal study in Arctic Quebec, we assessed Inuit children (n = 154; mean age: 11.3 y) by using a continuous visual recognition task to measure 2 event-related potential components related to recognition memory processing: the FN400 and the late positive component (LPC). Children were also examined by using 2 well-established neurobehavioral assessments of memory: the Digit span forward from Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children, 4th edition, and the California Verbal Learning Test-Children's Version. Results: Repeated-measures analyses of variance revealed that children with higher cord plasma concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is an important n-3 PUFA, had a shorter FN400 latency and a larger LPC amplitude; and higher plasma DHA concentrations at the time of testing were associated with increased FN400 amplitude. Cord DHA-related effects were observed regardless of seafood-contaminant amounts. Multiple regression analyses also showed positive associations between cord DHA concentrations and performance on neurobehavioral assessments of memory. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this study provides the first neurophysiologic and neurobehavioral evidence of long-term beneficial effects of n-3 PUFA intake in utero on memory function in school-age children.
- Jacques, C., Levy, E., Muckle, G., Jacobson, S.W., Bastien, C., Dewailly, E., Ayotte, P., Jacobson, J.L., and Saint-Amour, D. Long-term effects of prenatal omega-3 fatty acid intake on visual function in school-age children. Journal of Pediatrics 158(1): 83-90, 2011.
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Objective To assess the long-term effect on visual development of omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) intake during gestation. Study design Using visual evoked potentials (VEPs), the long-term effects on visual development were evaluated in 136 school-age Inuit children exposed to high levels of n-3 PUFAs during gestation. VEP protocols using color and motion stimuli were used to assess parvocellular and magnocellular responses. Concentrations of the two major n-3 PUFAs (docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] and eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]) were measured in umbilical cord and child plasma phospholipids, reflecting prenatal and postnatal exposure, respectively. Results After adjustment for confounders, cord plasma DHA level was found to be associated with shorter latencies of the N1 and P1 components of the color VEPs. No effects were found for current n-3 PUFA body burden or motion-onset VEPs. Conclusion This study demonstrates beneficial effects of DHA intake during gestation on visual system function at school age. DHA is particularly important for the early development and long-term function of the visual parvocellular pathway.
- Hill, R.T. and Fenical, W. Pharmaceuticals from marine natural products: surge or ebb? Current Opinion in Biotechnology 21(6): 777-779, 2010.
- Waters, A.L., Hill, R.T., Place, A.R., and Hamann, M.T. The expanding role of marine microbes in pharmaceutical development. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 21(6): 780-786, 2010.
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Marine microbes have received growing attention as sources of bioactive metabolites and offer a unique opportunity to both increase the number of marine natural products in clinical trials as well as expedite their development. This review focuses specifically on those molecules currently in the clinical pipeline that are established or highly likely to be produced by bacteria based on expanding circumstantial evidence. We also include an example of how compounds from harmful algal blooms may yield both tools for measuring environmental change as well as leads for pharmaceutical development. An example of the karlotoxin class of compounds isolated from the dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum reveals a significant environmental impact in the form of massive fish kills, but also provides opportunities to construct new molecules for the control of cancer and serum cholesterol assisted by tools associated with rational drug design.
- Mayer, A.M., Glaser, K.B., Cuevas, C., Jacobs, R.S., Kem, W., Little, R.D., McIntosh, J.M., Newman, D.J., Potts, B.C., and Shuster, D.E. The odyssey of marine pharmaceuticals: a current pipeline perspective. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences 31(6): 255-265, 2010.
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The global marine pharmaceutical pipeline consists of three Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs, one EU registered drug, 13 natural products (or derivatives thereof) in different phases of the clinical pipeline and a large number of marine chemicals in the preclinical pipeline. In the United States there are three FDA approved marine-derived drugs, namely cytarabine (Cytosar-U®, Depocyt®), vidarabine (Vira-A®) and ziconotide (Prialt®). The current clinical pipeline includes 13 marine-derived compounds that are either in Phase I, Phase II or Phase III clinical trials. Several key Phase III studies are ongoing and there are seven marine-derived compounds now in Phase II trials. The preclinical pipeline continues to supply several hundred novel marine compounds every year and those continue to feed the clinical pipeline with potentially valuable compounds. From a global perspective the marine pharmaceutical pipeline remains very active, and now has sufficient momentum to deliver several additional compounds to the marketplace in the near future; this review provides a current view of the pipeline.
- Vo, T.-S. and Kim, S.-K. Potential anti-HIV agents from marine resources: An overview. Marine Drugs 8(12): 2871-2892, 2010.
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Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and is a global public health issue. Anti-HIV therapy involving chemical drugs has improved the life quality of HIV/AIDS patients. However, emergence of HIV drug resistance, side effects and the necessity for long-term anti-HIV treatment are the main reasons for failure of anti-HIV therapy. Therefore, it is essential to isolate novel anti-HIV therapeutics from natural resources. Recently, a great deal of interest has been expressed regarding marine-derived anti-HIV agents such as phlorotannins, sulfated chitooligosaccharides, sulfated polysaccharides, lectins and bioactive peptides. This contribution presents an overview of anti-HIV therapeutics derived from marine resources and their potential application in HIV therapy.
- Pangestuti, R. and Kim, S.-K. Neuroprotective effects of marine algae. Marine Drugs 9(5): 803-818, 2011.
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The marine environment is known as a rich source of chemical structures with numerous beneficial health effects. Among marine organisms, marine algae have been identified as an under-exploited plant resource, although they have long been recognized as valuable sources of structurally diverse bioactive compounds. Presently, several lines of studies have provided insight into biological activities and neuroprotective effects of marine algae including antioxidant, anti-neuroinflammatory, cholinesterase inhibitory activity and the inhibition of neuronal death. Hence, marine algae have great potential to be used for neuroprotection as part of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and functional foods. This contribution presents an overview of marine algal neuroprotective effects and their potential application in neuroprotection.
- Galeano, J.E., Rojas, J.J., and Martinez, A. Pharmacological developments obtained from marine natural products and current pipeline perspective. Natural Product Communications 6(2): 287-300, 2011.
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Marine organisms represent a new extensive source for bioactive molecules. They have the potential to provide new therapeutic alternatives to treat human diseases. In this paper, we describe and discuss a variety of isolated and semisynthetic molecules obtained from marine sources. These compounds are in phase II, phase III and at the commercialization stage of new drug development. A description of the mechanism of action, dosage used and side effects are also reported. The positive results obtained from these studies have triggered the development of new studies to evaluate the prospects for utilization of marine organisms.
- Ngo, D.H., Wijesekara, I., Vo, T.S., Ta, Q.V., and Kim, S.K. Marine food-derived functional ingredients as potential antioxidants in the food industry: An overview. Food Research International 44(2): 523-529, 2011.
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Recently, a great deal of interest has been developed by the consumers towards natural bioactive compounds as functional ingredients in the food products due to their various health beneficial effects. Hence, it can be suggested that antioxidative functional ingredients from marine foods and their by-products are alternative sources for synthetic ingredients that can contribute to a consumer's well-being, as a part of nutraceuticals and functional foods. This contribution presents an overview of the marine food-derived antioxidants such as bioactive peptides, chitooligo-saccharide derivatives, sulfated polysaccharides, phlorotannins and carotenoids with the potential utilization in the food industry.
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