Mass balance approach to assess the impact of cadmium decrease in mineral phosphate fertilizers on health risk: The case-study of French agricultural soils.

Cadmium is a ubiquitous and highly toxic contaminant that can cause serious adverse effects. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) have shown that the risk related to food contamination by cadmium cannot be ruled out in Europe and France. Fertilizing material is one of the main sources of cadmium contamination in the food chain on which regulators can play to reduce cadmium exposure in the population. The aim of this work was to develop a mass-balance approach integrating the various environmental sources of cadmium to estimate the effects of a decrease in cadmium concentrations in crop fertilizers on dietary exposure and on the health risk. This approach led to a predictive model that can be used as a decision-making tool. Representative and protective fertilization scenarios associated with controlled cadmium levels in mineral phosphate fertilizers were simulated and converted into cadmium fluxes. Cadmium inputs from industrial mineral phosphate fertilizers were then compared with cadmium brought by the application of manure, sewage sludge and farm anaerobic digest, at the levels typical of French agricultural practices. Regardless of the fertilizer and scenario used, a flux lower than 2 g Cd.ha-1.year-1 reduces both the accumulation in soils and the transfer of cadmium in the food chain. It corresponds to a cadmium content of 20 mg.kg P2O5-1 or less in mineral phosphate fertilizers. Modelling the transfer of cadmium from the soil to consumed food made it possible to propose cadmium limits in fertilizers applied in France. In a global context of ecological transition to promote human health, this research will help risk managers and public authorities in the regulatory decision-making process for the reduction of environmental cadmium contamination and human exposure.

The development of a novel functional food: bioactive lipids in yogurts enriched with Aurantiochytrium sp. biomass.

Western diets are poor in healthy n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic acid. Since microalga Aurantiochytrium sp. is rich in docosahexaenoic acid, a functional food based on lean yogurt and this microalga was tested. This study entailed characterizing the lipid fraction and determining the fatty acid bioaccessibility. The tested yogurts (control and 2% w/w, Aurantiochytrium sp.) had differences. Docosahexaenoic acid was not detected in the control product, but it was the second most important fatty acid in Aurantiochytrium sp. and Aurantiochytrium yogurt, 29.7 ± 0.4% and 18.7 ± 2.0%, respectively. Based on the fatty acid profile only, an amount of 158.7 g of Aurantiochytrium yogurt in wet weight terms would be required to ensure an appropriate intake of healthy fatty acids. Generally, the fatty acid bioaccessibility was not high, remaining below 60-70% in almost all cases. Considering the docosahexaenoic acid bioaccessibility (44 ± 3%), an amount of 360.7 g of Aurantiochytrium yogurt would be advisable. A reasonable dietary prescription would be a daily consumption of 125 ml of Aurantiochytrium yogurt.

A meta-analysis of the greenhouse gas abatement of bioenergy factoring in land use changes.

Non-food biomass production is developing rapidly to fuel the bioenergy sector and substitute dwindling fossil resources, which is likely to impact land-use patterns worldwide. Recent publications attempting to factor this effect into the climate mitigation potential of bioenergy chains have come to widely variable conclusions depending on their scope, data sources or methodology. Here, we conducted a first of its kind, systematic review of scientific literature on this topic and derived quantitative trends through a meta-analysis. We showed that second-generation biofuels and bioelectricity have a larger greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement potential than first generation biofuels, and stand the best chances (with a 80 to 90% probability range) of achieving a 50% reduction compared to fossil fuels. Conversely, directly converting forest ecosystems to produce bioenergy feedstock appeared as the worst-case scenario, systematically leading to negative GHG savings. On the other hand, converting grassland appeared to be a better option and entailed a 60% chance of halving GHG emissions compared to fossil energy sources. Since most climate mitigation scenarios assume still larger savings, it is critical to gain better insight into land-use change effects to provide a more realistic estimate of the mitigation potential associated with bioenergy.

Exchanging physically effective neutral detergent fiber does not affect chewing activity and performance of late-lactation dairy cows fed corn and sugarcane silages.

The objective of this study was to determine whether replacing the physically effective neutral detergent fiber (peNDF) of corn silage with sugarcane silage peNDF would affect performance in dairy cows. Twenty-four late-lactation Holstein cows were assigned to eight 3 × 3 Latin squares with 21-d periods. The dietary treatments were (1) 25% peNDF of corn silage, (2) 25% peNDF of sugarcane silage, and (3) 12.5% peNDF of corn silage + 12.5% peNDF of sugarcane silage. The physical effectiveness factors (pef) were assumed to be 1 for corn silage and 1.2 for sugarcane silage, as measured previously by bioassay. Thus, peNDF was calculated as neutral detergent fiber (NDF) × pef. The concentrate ingredients were finely ground corn, soybean meal, pelleted citrus pulp, and mineral-vitamin premix. Dry matter intake (22.5 ± 0.63 kg/d), 3.5% fat-corrected milk yield (28.8 ± 1.13 kg/d), milk composition (fat, protein, lactose, urea, casein, free fatty acids, and somatic cell count), and blood metabolites (glucose, insulin, and nonesterified fatty acids) were unaffected by the treatments. The time spent eating, ruminating, or chewing was also similar among the diets, as was particle-sorting behavior. By contrast, chewing per kilogram of forage NDF intake was higher for the sugarcane silage (137 min/kg) than the corn silage diet (116 min/kg), indicating the greater physical effectiveness of sugarcane fiber. Based on chewing behavior (min/d), the estimated pef of sugarcane silage NDF were 1.28 in the corn silage plus sugarcane silage diet and 1.29 in the sugarcane silage diet. Formulating dairy rations of equal peNDF content allows similar performance if corn and sugarcane silages are exchanged.

Effect of chromosome constitution variations on the expression of Turner phenotype.

Turner syndrome (TS) is a chronic disease related to haploinsufficiency of genes that are normally expressed in both X chromosomes in patients with female phenotype that is associated with a wide range of somatic malformations. We made detailed cytogenetic and clinical analysis of 65 patients with TS from the region of Recife, Brazil, to determine the effects of different chromosome constitutions on expression of the TS phenotype. Overall, patients with X-monosomy exhibited a tendency to have more severe phenotypes with higher morbidity, showing its importance in TS prognosis. Additionally, we found rare genetic and phenotypic abnormalities associated with this syndrome. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of 45,X,t(11;12)(q22;q22) described as a TS karyotype. Turner patients usually have normal intelligence; however, moderate to severe levels of mental retardation were found in 5 TS cases, which is considerate a very uncommon feature in this syndrome.

Turnover of soil bacterial diversity driven by wide-scale environmental heterogeneity.

Spatial scaling and determinism of the wide-scale distribution of macroorganism diversity has been largely demonstrated over a century. For microorganisms, and especially for soil bacteria, this fundamental question requires more thorough investigation, as little information has been reported to date. Here by applying the taxa-area relationship to the largest spatially explicit soil sampling available in France (2,085 soils, area covered ~5.3 × 10(5) km(2)) and developing an innovative evaluation of the habitat-area relationship, we show that the turnover rate of bacterial diversity in soils on a wide scale is highly significant and strongly correlated with the turnover rate of soil habitat. As the diversity of micro- and macroorganisms appears to be driven by similar processes (dispersal and selection), maintaining diverse and spatially structured habitats is essential for soil biological patrimony and the resulting ecosystem services.

Spatial distribution of Lindane concentration in topsoil across France.

Lindane [γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH)] is an organochlorine pesticide with toxic effects on humans. It is bioaccumulative and can remain in soils for long periods, and although its use for crop spraying was banned in France in 1998, it is possible that residues from before this time remain in the soil. The RMQS soil monitoring network consists of soil samples from 2200 sites on a 16 km regular grid across France, collected between 2002 and 2009. We use 726 measurements of the Lindane concentration in these samples to (i) investigate the main explanatory factors for its spatial distribution across France, and (ii) map this distribution. Geostatistics provides an appropriate framework to analyze our spatial dataset, though two issues regarding the data are worth special consideration: first, the harmonization of two subsets of the data (which were analyzed using different measurement processes), and second, the large proportion of data from one of these subsets that fell below a limit of quantification. We deal with these issues using recent methodological developments in geostatistics. Results demonstrate the importance of land use and rainfall for explaining part of the variability of Lindane across France: land use due to the past direct input of Lindane on cropland and its subsequent persistence in the soil, and rainfall due to the re-deposition of volatilized Lindane. Maps show the concentrations to be generally largest in the north and northwest of France, areas of more intensive agricultural land. We also compare levels to some contamination thresholds taken from the literature, and present maps showing the probability of Lindane concentrations exceeding these thresholds across France. These maps could be used as guidelines for deciding which areas require further sampling before some possible remediation strategy could be applied.

Performance of dairy cows fed high levels of acetic acid or ethanol.

Ethanol and acetic acid are common end products from silages. The main objective of this study was to determine whether high concentrations of ethanol or acetic acid in total mixed ration would affect performance in dairy cows. Thirty mid-lactation Holstein cows were grouped in 10 blocks and fed one of the following diets for 7 wk: (1) control (33% Bermuda hay + 67% concentrates), (2) ethanol [control diet + 5% ethanol, dry matter (DM) basis], or (3) acetic acid (control diet + 5% acetic acid, DM basis). Ethanol and acetic acid were diluted in water (1:2) and sprayed onto total mixed rations twice daily before feeding. An equal amount of water was mixed with the control ration. To adapt animals to these treatments, cows were fed only half of the treatment dose during the first week of study. Cows fed ethanol yielded more milk (37.9 kg/d) than those fed the control (35.8 kg/d) or acetic acid (35.3 kg/d) diets, mainly due to the higher DM intake (DMI; 23.7, 22.2, and 21.6 kg/d, respectively). The significant diet × week interaction for DMI, mainly during wk 2 and 3 (when acetic acid reached the full dose), was related to the decrease in DMI observed for the acetic acid treatment. There was a diet × week interaction in excretion of milk energy per DMI during wk 2 and 3, due to cows fed acetic acid sustained milk yield despite lower DMI. Energy efficiency was similar across diets. Blood metabolites (glucose, insulin, nonesterified fatty acids, ethanol, and γ-glutamyl transferase activity) and sensory characteristics of milk were not affected by these treatments. Animal performance suggested similar energy value for the diet containing ethanol compared with other diets. Rumen conversion of ethanol to acetate and a concomitant increase in methane production might be a plausible explanation for the deviation of the predicted energy value based on the heat of combustion. Therefore, the loss of volatile compounds during the drying process in the laboratory should be considered when calculating energy content of fermented feedstuffs.

An inventory of trace elements inputs to French agricultural soils.

The inputs of ten trace elements (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Zn) to French agricultural soils have been assessed. The six main sources considered were: pesticides, mineral fertilizers, animal manure, liming materials, sludge and composts and atmospheric deposition. Data were collected to compute inputs at both national and regional (departmental) scales. The inventory methodology is based on two principles: data are traceable and easy to update. At a national scale, the inventory showed that trace elements inputs can be ranked: Zn≫Cu≫Cr>Pb>Ni>As=Mo>Se>Cd>Hg. Animal manure, mineral fertilizers and pesticides are the predominant sources of TEs. These results are globally in agreement with literature data though atmospheric deposition is shown to be lower than in more industrial countries such as China and United Kingdom where similar surveys were conducted. The inputs of trace elements vary strongly between regions in relation with agricultural activities. This inventory (and the related database) provides basis for developing and monitoring policies to control and reduce trace elements contamination of agricultural soils at both national and regional (departmental) scales.

Production of thermophilic endo-ß-1,4-xylanases by Aspergillus fumigatus FBSPE-05 using agro-industrial by-products.

In the present paper, endo-ß-1,4-xylanase production by Aspergillus fumigatus was evaluated in solid-state fermentation using low-cost substrates such as sugarcane bagasse (SCB), brewer's spent grain (BSG), and wheat bran (WB). The partial characterization of the crude enzyme was also performed. In the experimental conditions, the highest levels of endo-ß-1,4-xylanase production by A. fumigatus FBSPE-05 occurred within 8 days incubation when using SCB/liquid medium at 1:2 ratio (219.5 U g(-1)) and 4 days incubation when using WB/liquid medium at 1:1 ratio (215.6 U g(-1)). Crude enzyme from this last condition was used to enzyme characterization, showing best enzyme activity at 60 °C and pH 6.0, which suggests a thermophilic endoxylanase. The crude enzyme retained 73% of its activity after 1 h at 60 °C, and zymogram has shown three bands of endo-ß-1,4-xylanase activity, with different molecular masses. A. fumigatus FBSPE-05 was able to grow and produce good levels of endo-ß-1,4-xylanase using agro-industrial by-products, making this strain worthy for further investigation. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the use of SCB and/or BSG as sole substrates for endoxylanase production by solid-state fermentation using A. fumigatus.

Inter-laboratory evaluation of the ISO standard 11063 "Soil quality - Method to directly extract DNA from soil samples".

Extracting DNA directly from micro-organisms living in soil is a crucial step for the molecular analysis of soil microbial communities. However, the use of a plethora of different soil DNA extraction protocols, each with its own bias, makes accurate data comparison difficult. To overcome this problem, a method for soil DNA extraction was proposed to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2006. This method was evaluated by 13 independent European laboratories actively participating in national and international ring tests. The reproducibility of the standardized method for molecular analyses was evaluated by comparing the amount of DNA extracted, as well as the abundance and genetic structure of the total bacterial community in the DNA extracted from 12 different soils by the 13 laboratories. High quality DNA was successfully extracted from all 12 soils, despite different physical and chemical characteristics and a range of origins from arable soils, through forests to industrial sites. Quantification of the 16S rRNA gene abundances by real time PCR and analysis of the total bacterial community structure by automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (A-RISA) showed acceptable to good levels of reproducibility. Based on the results of both ring-tests, the method was unanimously approved by the ISO as an international standard method and the normative protocol will now be disseminated within the scientific community. Standardization of a soil DNA extraction method will improve data comparison, facilitating our understanding of soil microbial diversity and soil quality monitoring.

Multivariate analysis of the spatial patterns of 8 trace elements using the French soil monitoring network data.

Geostatistical and spatially constrained multivariate analysis methods (MULTISPATI-PCA) have been applied at the scale of France to differentiate the influence of natural background from the pollution due to human activities on the content of 8 trace elements in the topsoil. The results of MULTISPATI-PCA evidence strong spatial structures attributed to different natural and artificial processes. The first axis can be interpreted as an axis of global richness in trace elements. Axis 2 reflects geochemical anomalies in Tl and Pb. Axis 3 exhibits on one hand natural pedogeogenic anomalies and on the other hand, it shows high values attributable to anthropogenic contamination. Finally, axis 4 is driven by anthropogenic copper contamination. At the French territory scale, we show that the main factors controlling trace elements distribution in the topsoil are soil texture, variations in parent material geology and weathering, and various anthropogenic sources.

Aspergillus fumigatus thermophilic and acidophilic endoglucanases.

This study evaluated the production of cellulolytic enzymes by an Aspergillus fumigatus strain, isolated from sugar cane bagasse, according to its ability to grow on microcrystalline cellulose as the sole carbon source. The effect of the carbon source (brewer's spent grain, sugarcane bagasse, and wheat bran) and of the nitrogen source (corn steep liquor and sodium nitrate) on cellulase production was studied using submerged and solid state cultivations at 30 degrees C. The highest levels of endoglucanase (CMCase) corresponded to 365 U L(-1) and was obtained using sugarcane bagasse (1%) and corn steep liquor (1.2%) in submerged fermentation within 6 days of cultivation. This supernatant was used to run a sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis that showed six bands with endoglucanase activity. CMCase activity was higher at 65 degrees C and pH 2.0, indicating that this microorganism produces a thermophilic and acid endoglucanase. Solid state cultivation favored FPase production, that reached 47 U g(-1) of dry substrate (wheat bran and sugarcane bagasse) within 3 days.

Evaluation of toxic and genotoxic potential of stabilized industrial waste and contaminated soils.

Artificial aqueous samples (eluates, percolates, immersion waters) were obtained from contaminated soils and stabilized industrial wastes. The toxicity and genotoxicity of these aqueous fractions have been evaluated in vivo in the aquatic larvae of the amphibian Xenopus laevis. Four biotests have been applied: a test of subchronic toxicity and three biomakers: (1) measurement of the activity of ethoxyresorufine-o-dealkylase in the liver, (2) detection of DNA adducts in the liver and the blood, and (3) measurement of the rate of micronuclei in the erythrocytes. Biological datas were completed through a chemical analysis. The main conclusions of this study are: The importance of integrating different toxicity criterias into a biological battery (phenotypic and genotypic criterias). Some aqueous extracts did not seem to be very toxic, whereas their genotoxic effects were rather significant [e.g. the stabilized Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) ashes]. The importance of coupling together chemical and biological approaches to refine the impact. Actually, some eluates (lixiviation or percolation) coming from polluted soils appeared to be very poorly loaded with pollutants, whereas the toxic and genotoxic impact of these complex matrices were rather noticeable. In addition, when applying the leaching standardized procedure, the hazardous potential of the two analysed soils may be underestimated if the results on percolates and on eluates have been compared. This study highligths the importance of coupling the tools of characterization and preparation of samples to be analysed according to the objectives to be reached.

[Evaluation of procedures used for disinfecting patients' units in hospitals of the state of Sao Paulo]. / Avaliação da limpeza de unidade do paciente em hospitals do interior do estado de São Paulo.

The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the procedure used for disinfecting patients' rooms, as well as to detect and indicate possible mistakes in this process. The results obtained through interviews with nursing professionals responsible for the Nursing Services reveal that the procedures used in the studied hospitals are not following the principles required by the literature. As a consequence there is little reliability concerning disinfecting procedures in those hospitals.