The concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in the sediments from Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China. The results showed that the total concentrations of four hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers (α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH, δ-HCH), three dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) homologs and their metabolit...

BACKGROUND Computer-based modeling is part of a new approach to predictive toxicology. OBJECTIVES We investigated the usefulness of an integrated computational systems biology approach in a case study involving the isomers and metabolites of the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) to ascertain their possible links to relevant adverse effects. METHODS We extracted chemical-protei...

Seven of the nine vulture species in South Africa are listed as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. From these, the Cape Griffon vulture (Gyps corprotheres) is the most endangered species in the region. Although inadequate nutritional support has been blamed on the constant decline in populations, the process of vulture restaurants has failed to...

Brazilian bees of the species Eufriesea purpurata are known to tolerate very high concentrations of DDT. As reported in the literature, these bees have suffered no harm from as much as 2 mg/bee, which is in the per-cent range of the body weight. In 1979, individuals of E. purpurata were captured as they collected DDT from walls of remote, rural houses in Brazil. Reported herein are quantities a...

An increase in the frequency of pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion in vitro and a reduction in LH response to GnRH in vivo characterize hypothalamic-pituitary maturation before puberty in the female rat. In girls migrating for international adoption, sexual precocity is frequent and could implicate former exposure to the insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), ...

As a result of its unique location, Turkey receives air masses from Europe, Russia, Middle East, and Africa, making it an important place in terms long-range atmospheric transport (LRT) contaminants. Atmospheric levels 22 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), 45 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 14 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured two metropolitan cities, Istanbul Izmir, on week...

The in vitro metabolism of p,p'-DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane], an important environmental pollutant, was examined in rat liver, focusing on reductive dechlorination. When p,p'-DDT was incubated with liver microsomes of rats in the presence of NADPH or NADH, a dechlorinated metabolite, p,p'-DDD [1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane], was formed under anaerobic conditi...

Elevated levels of DDT and other organochlorine pesticides have been associated with spontaneous abortion and preterm birth in several species, including humans (Delong et al. 1973; Hart et alo 1971; O'Leary et alo 1970; Saxena et al. 1980, 1981; Wassermann et al. 1982). Despite the prevalence of organochlorine pesticides in our environment, a mechanistic basis for this association has not been...

The disruption of the reproductive system of male and female animals in the wild has been attributed to environmental chemicals (xenobiotics). The effects seen mirror alterations one might anticipate if the steroid hormone-dependent processes that regulate these systems were impaired. To determine whether xenobiotics (present at a concentration of 100 microM) exert their action through steroid-...