Preface.- Contributors.- List of Abbreviations.- Section 1: Basic Principles: Introduction.-Sources of Heavy Metals and Metalloids in Soils.- Chemistry of Heavy Metals and Metalloids in Soils.- Methods for the Determination of Heavy Metals and Metalloids in Soils.- Effects of Heavy Metals and Metalloids on Soil Organisms.- Soil-Plant Relationships of Heavy Metals and Metalloids.- Heavy Metals and Metalloids as Micronutrients for Plants and Animals.-Critical Loads of Heavy Metals for Soils.- Section 2: Key Heavy Metals And Metalloids: Arsenic.- Cadmium.- Chromium and Nickel.- Cobalt and Manganese.- Copper.-Lead.- Mercury.- Selenium.- Zinc.- Section 3: Other Heavy Metals And Metalloids Of Potential Environmental Significance: Antimony.- Barium.- Gold.- Molybdenum.- Silver.- Thallium.- Tin.- Tungsten.- Uranium.- Vanadium.- Glossary of Specialized Terms.- Index.

Heavy metals in soils : trace metals and metalloids in soils and their bioavailability

This review summarizes the scattered literature on the effects of toxicants on the external and internal innate immunity of fish. Insecticides, heavy metals and surfactants have been the most frequently examined toxicants, whereas dioxins, furans and polychlorinated biphenyls have been tested less frequently. Studies to date have been conducted at the levels of cells in vitro, of fish in the laboratory and microcosms, and also of fish in the field. Among innate immune parameters, phagocyte respiratory burst appears especially sensitive to toxicants. Toxicant-induced alterations in external mucous production have also been observed repeatedly. Field studies have occasionally examined changes to melano-macrophage centers, but the meaning of such changes is not clear. Advances in basic knowledge of fish innate immunity should lead to improvements in monitoring fish health and predicting the impact of toxicants on fish populations, which is a fundamental ecotoxicological goal.

Ecotoxicology and innate immunity in fish

Polysaccharide-based biomaterials are an emerging class in several biomedical fields such as tissue regeneration, particularly for cartilage, drug delivery devices and gelentrapment systems for the immobilization of cells. Important properties of the polysaccharides include controllable biological activity, biodegradability, and their ability to form hydrogels. Most of the polysaccharides used derive from natural sources; particularly, alginate and chitin, two polysaccharides which have an extensive history of use in medicine, pharmacy and basic sciences, and can be easily extracted from marine plants (algae kelp) and crab shells, respectively. The recent rediscovery of poly-saccharidebased materials is also attributable to new synthetic routes for their chemical modification, with the aim of promoting new biological activities and/or to modify the final properties of the biomaterials for specific purposes. These synthetic strategies also involve the combination of polysaccharides with other polymers. A review of the more recent research in the field of chemical modification of alginate, chitin and its derivative chitosan is presented. Moreover, we report as case studies the results of our recent work concerning various different approaches and applications of polysaccharide-based biomaterials, such as the realization of novel composites based on calcium sulphate blended with alginate and with a chemically modified chitosan, the synthesis of novel alginate-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymers and the development of a family of materials based on alginate and acrylic polymers of potential interest as drug delivery systems.

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Marine Derived Polysaccharides for Biomedical Applications: Chemical Modification Approaches

Antiproliferative and anti-tumor activity of organotin compounds

Marine pollution from antifouling paint particles.

Haemocytes of the clam Tapes philippinarum (Adams & Reeve, 1850): morphofunctional characterisation.

Botryllus schlosseri, a cosmopolitan colonial ascidian reared in the laboratory for more than 50 years, reproduces both sexually and asexually and is used as a model organism for studying a variety of biological problems. Colonies are formed of numerous, genetically identical individuals (zooids) and undergo cyclical generation changes in which the adult zooids die and are replaced by their maturing buds. Because the progression of the colonial life cycle is intimately correlated with blastogenesis, a shared staging method of bud development is required to compare data coming from different laboratories. With the present review, we aim (1) to introduce B. schlosseri as a valuable chordate model to study various biological problems and, especially, sexual and asexual development; (2) to offer a detailed description of bud development up to adulthood and the attainment of sexual maturity; (3) to re-examine Sabbadin's (1955) staging method and re-propose it as a simple tool for in vivo recognition of the main morphogenetic events and recurrent changes in the blastogenetic cycle, as it refers to the developmental stages of buds and adults. Developmental Dynamics 236:335–352, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Botryllus schlosseri: A model ascidian for the study of asexual reproduction

Organotin Compounds in the Environment

Phagocytosis by Botryllus schlosseri hemocytes is influenced by temperature, pH, concentration, and physicochemical properties of the test particles and requires Ca2+ or Mg2+ ions to occur. Phagocytes recognize glucosyl or mannosyl residues on the surface of yeast cells, and a respiratory burst is associated with phagocytosis, as indicated by increased superoxide production. Factors that enhance phagocytosis of yeast, sheep red blood cells, and latex beads and reduce the uptake of yeast and sheep erythrocytes are present in the plasma.

Francesca Cima

Papers

Haemocytes of the clam Tapes philippinarum (Adams & Reeve, 1850): morphofunctional characterisation.

Botryllus schlosseri: A model ascidian for the study of asexual reproduction

Organotin Compounds in the Environment

Phagocytosis in the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri.

Toxic effects of new antifouling compounds on tunicate haemocytes I. Sea-nine 211 and chlorothalonil.