By-side PCDD/Fs in technical PCB formulations of Kanechlor series.

The Japanese Kanechlor technical PCB formulations such as KC-300, KC-400, KC-500, KC-600 and KC-1000 have been examined for possible contamination with by-side PCDD/Fs. 75 PCDDs and 135 PCDF have been determined using isotope dilution, separation and enrichment on silica gel impregnated with activated carbon, and final HRGC/HRMS measurement. MonoCDDs to OCDD were absent in KC-300, KC-600 and KC-1000. Tetra- and PentaCDDs occurred at > 1 ng/g in KC-400 and KC-500. The Kanechlors were contaminated with nearly all 135 PCDFsw. In parallel with an increasing degree of chlorination of a particular Kanechlor formulation examined increased also the content of more chlorinated PCDFs. In term of total dioxin-like toxicity and TEQ loads the KC-500 contained highly toxic PCDD/Fs at 270 ng TEQ/g and followed by KC-400 with 269 ng TEQ/g, KC-600 with 188 ng TEQ/g, KC-1000 with 164 ng TEQ/g and KC-300 with 79 ng TEQ/g. From 99.5 to 100% of PCDD/Fs toxicity found in the Kanechlors was from PCDFs.

Some chemical contaminant of surface sediments at the Baltic Sea coastal region with special emphasis on androgenic and anti-androgenic compounds.

Androgenic and anti-androgenic compounds including p,p'-DDE, Diuron, Linuron, Fenarimol, Vinclozolin, 1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl) urea (DCPU), 1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-3-methylurea, (DCPMU), tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPT) and their metabolites (DBT, MBT, DPT, MPT) as well as metallic elements (Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, Co, Tl, Cr, Fe, Mn, Al, K, Mg, Na, Ca, Ba, Ti, Sn), PAHs (16 indicator compounds), DDTs and PCBs have been quantified in top layer (0-10 cm) of up to 37 surface sediment samples collected from several sites in costal zone of the Gulf of Gdansk, an inland freshwater area of Brdyujscie in Poland and the tidal flats of the Norderney Island, Wadden Sea in 2002-2003. These sites differed in the degree of anthropogenic activities, including chemical pollution and related impact on biota. Especially in sediments near shipyards, ship repair facilities, harbours, other industrial activities or close to municipal sewage treatment plant outlets butyltins, PAHs and some metallic elements were found at high concentrations. Diuron, Linuron and DCPMU were detected at a few sites, Fenarimol only once, while Vinclozolin and DCPU were not detected. DDT concentrations in the sediments from the Gdansk and Gdynia region of the Gulf show a stepwise decrease following the ban for production and use, while diffusion of PCBs at some industrial sites seems to continue. Elevated PAH concentrations in sediments seem to be mainly due to pyrogenic and less to mixed pyrogenic and petrogenic sources, while for a few sites rather petrogenic sources dominated. The reference sites in the Norderney Island, Wadden Sea showed similar or slightly higher loads of DDTs, BTs, PAHs, PCBs and metallic elements when compared to sediments from the least contaminated sites in the coastal Gulf of Gdansk area, while phenyltins were not detected at both spatially distant European areas.

Amphetamine enhances natural killer cytotoxic activity via beta-adrenergic mechanism.

Although addiction to amphetamine (AMPH) is a serious social and medical problem, the data concerning AMPH - immune interactions are still not numerous. To analyze the mechanism of AMPH-induced changes in the function of the immune system, rats were pretreated with beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol (PROP; 5 mg/kg, i.p.) prior to AMPH (1 mg/kg, i.p.) administration. Natural Killer cells cytotoxicity (NKCC) ((51)Cr-release assay), the number of LGLs (NK cells) (Timonen method), leukocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes, and plasma corticosterone level (CORT) (RIA) were evaluated in the peripheral blood and spleen. In the peripheral blood increases in NKCC (+331 Delta %), as well as in LGL (+33 Delta %) and monocyte (+65 Delta %) number observed after AMPH were partially inhibited by PROP (respectively by 30%, 19%, and 30%) in contrast to lymphopenia (-19 Delta %) and granulocytosis (+65 Delta %) which were not affected by beta-blockade. In the spleen AMPH-induced decreases in NKCC (-25 Delta %) and in all the leukocyte populations number (approximately -30 Delta %) were completely blocked by PROP. Plasma CORT level, highly elevated by AMPH (+337 Delta %), was attenuated nearly by 50% under beta-adrenergic blockade. These data indicate that AMPH-induced enhancement of cytotoxic activity of NK cell is related to beta-adrenergic mechanism.