Coronary heart disease risk factors in employees of Iowa's Department of Public Safety compared to a cohort of the general population.

The prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors in law enforcement personnel compared to that in the general population was studied by determining the predicted 10-year risk for developing CHD (CHD10, expressed as %) in subjects from the Iowa Department of Public Safety and comparing it to the average CHD10 for similarly aged subjects in the Framingham Heart Study cohort. The Iowa data included measures on 388 men from 30 to 64 years old, 246 of whom were measured in 1980-1981 and again in 1992-1993. The CHD10 came from an algorithm developed using the Framingham data; it included measures of age, gender, cholesterol, HDL-C, systolic blood pressure, smoking habit, glucose level, and left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG criteria). For this group, average CHD10 was reported by age in five-year increments [Circulation 83:356, 1991]. The Iowa subjects (n = 388) did not show a statistically significant difference in CHD10 from the reference population (8.9% versus 7.9%). The change with age was very similar in the two groups: for Iowa (n = 388) the estimate was CHD10 = -16.5 + .59 (age); for Framingham it was CHD10 = -17.5 + .60 (age). The change in individual risk factors with time was also similar in both groups; the per year change in CHD10 in the Iowa subjects, which was measured twice (n = 246, 0.63%), did not differ statistically from the 0.60% change predicted by the Framingham model. These results suggest that, for the risk factors considered here, the 10-year probability of developing CHD among Iowa law enforcement personnel is similar to that found in the Framingham population.

Environmental contaminant concentrations in biota from the lower Savannah River, Georgia and South Carolina.

Planned harbor expansion and industrial developments may adversely affect the economically important aquatic resources of the lower Savannah River, including those at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. To establish the present level of chemical contamination in this system, we collected a total of 102 samples of nine species of fish and fiddler crabs (Uca pugilator) from eleven sites in the lower Savannah River and on the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, and analyzed them for concentrations of organochlorine chemicals, aliphatic and aromatic petroleum hydrocarbons, and 13 elemental contaminants: aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, selenium, and zinc. Residues of DDT (mainly as DDE), trans-nonachlor, dieldrin, Aroclor 1260, mirex, and petroleum hydrocarbons were common in fish from the lower Savannah River, but concentrations were below those warranting environmental concern. In general, the concentrations of elemental contaminants also were low; however, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium concentrations were elevated in fish from river stations near the city of Savannah, and lead was elevated in samples from the National Wildlife Refuge. Contamination of the lower Savannah River by organic and elemental contaminants, as indicated by concentrations in fishes and fiddler crabs, did not appear to pose a hazard.

Effect of trifluralin on growth, morphology, and nucleic Acid synthesis.

Roots and shoots of corn seedlings (Zea mays L. var. Dixie 18) germinated in trifluralin (alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoro-2,6-dinitro-N,N-dipropyl-p-toluidine) solutions are characterized by radial enlargement of the cortical cells and by multinucleate cells in the meristematic regions. Trifluralin inhibits elongation of Avena coleoptile sections at concentrations of 0.1 mum to 10 mum. Synthesis of DNA, RNA, and protein is suppressed in the root tips while no significant effect is noticeable in the shoots of corn germinated in trifluralin. A (32)P time-course study of 48, 72, and 96 hours utilizing phenol extraction and MAK column separation of corn root and shoot nucleic acids showed suppression of (32)P incorporation in the treated roots; however, the 72 and 96 hour treated shoots incorporated a much greater amount than the control with most of the increased incorporation found in the sRNA and DNA fractions. The increased activity in the DNA may be due to a high G-C type DNA. No selective suppression or enhancement of any particular RNA species was noticed in the treated plants.