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BACKGROUND: We previously reported an association between household chemical exposures and an increased risk of paediatric-onset multiple sclerosis. METHODS: Using a case-control paediatric multiple sclerosis study, gene-environment interaction between exposure to household chemicals and genotypes for risk of paediatric-onset multiple sclerosis was estimated.Genetic risk factors of interest included the two major HLA multiple sclerosis risk factors, the presence of DRB1*15 and the absence of A*02, and multiple sclerosis risk variants within the metabolic pathways of common household toxic chemicals, including IL-6 (rs2069852), BCL-2 (rs2187163) and NFKB1 (rs7665090). RESULTS: 490 paediatric-onset multiple sclerosis cases and 716 controls were included in the analyses. Exposures to insect repellent for ticks or mosquitos (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.04, p=0.019), weed control products (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.51 to 3.07, p<0.001) and plant/tree insect or disease control products (OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.92 to 5.49, p<0.001) were associated with increased odds of paediatric-onset multiple sclerosis. There was significant additive interaction between exposure to weed control products and NFKB1 SNP GG (attributable proportions (AP) 0.48, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.87), and exposure to plant or disease control products and absence of HLA-A*02 (AP 0.56; 95% CI 0.03 to 1.08). There was a multiplicative interaction between exposure to weed control products and NFKB1 SNP GG genotype (OR 2.30, 95% CI 1.00 to 5.30) but not for other exposures and risk variants. No interactions were found with IL-6 and BCL-2 SNP GG genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of gene-environment interactions with household toxins supports their possible causal role in paediatric-onset multiple sclerosis.

4-Nonylphenol (4-NP) is an anthropogenic contaminant found in different environmental matrices that has an effect over the biotic and abiotic factors within the environment. Bioremediation by microorganisms can be used as a potential treatment to remove this pollutant. In this work, a consortium of two microorganisms, Arthrospira maxima and Chlorella vulgaris, was employed to remove 4-NP from water. The parameters analyzed included cell growth, removal of 4-NP, and 4-NP remnant in the biomass. In addition, the metabolites produced in the process by this consortium were identified. It was found that C. vulgaris is more resistant to 4-NP than A. maxima (cell growth inhibition by 4-NP of 99%). The consortium used in this study had an IC greater than any strain of microalgae or cyanobacteria reported for 4-NP removal (9.29 mg/L) and reduced up to 96% of 4-NP in water in the first 48 h of culture. It was also observed that there is a bio-transformation of 4-NP, comparable with the process carried out by another bacterium, in which three similar metabolites were found (4-(1-methyl-octyl)-4-hydroxy-cyclohex-2-enone, 4-nonyl-4-hydroxy-ciclohexa-2,5-dienone and 4-nonyl-4-hydroxy- ciclohex-2-enone) and one that is similar to plant metabolism (4-nonyl-(1-methyl,6,8-metoxy)-hydroxybenzene). These results indicate that microalgae and cyanobacteria consortium can be used to remove 4-NP from water.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) and allergies are both considered to be related to imbalanced Th1 and Th2 immune responses. Previous studies evaluating the relationship between MS and allergies provide conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: To assess allergies and asthma as risk factors for MS and as predictors of MS relapses in a pediatric cohort. METHODS: The environment and genetic risk factors for pediatric MS study is a national case-control project with 16 participating US sites. An environmental questionnaire is used that includes history of allergies in the first five years of life. Case-control data are entered in the pediatric MS Network database and cases at 12 of the 16 sites enter relapse data prospectively. Annualized relapse rate was calculated for patients with follow-up and adjusted for age at disease onset, gender, race, ethnicity, and use of disease-modifying therapy (DMT). RESULTS: We included 271 cases (mean age at disease onset of 15.7years and 62% female) and 418 controls. Relapse data were available for 193 cases. There was no difference in prevalence of allergies or asthma between cases and controls. Patients with food allergies had fewer relapses compared to patients without food allergies (0.14 vs 0.48, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: While allergies and asthma are not associated with pediatric MS, cases with food allergies have fewer relapses compared to those without food allergies.

Experimentally obtained transition probabilities for some ultraviolet Kr II lines, expressed in absolute units, are presented in this paper. For the measurement, intensities of spectral lines emitted by a plasma generated in a low-pressure pulsed arc were used. The electron density was in the range of (1.5 - 3.4) × 1022 m−3, while the temperature was between 28 000 K and 35 000 K.

The determination of radiative transition probabilities or oscillator strengths is of common interest in astrophysics. The analysis of the high-resolution stellar spectra is now available in order to estimate the stellar abundances. In this paper, 93 experimentally obtained transition probability values (A) for singly ionized krypton spectral lines belonging to the ultraviolet (UV) wavelength region (208-360) nm are presented. These data, expressed in absolute units, were derived from the measurements of relative spectral line intensities and the values of transition probability data taken from the literature. The results obtained extend considerably the transition probability data base. As a light source, a plasma from a low-pressure pulsed arc was used. Its electron density was in the range of (1.5-3.4) × 10 m, while the temperature was between 28 000 and 35 000 K. A detailed analysis of the results is also given. Only a few relative and a few absolute transition probabilities from other authors, for the mentioned spectral region, are available in the literature.

© 2014 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. Transition probabilities have a significant interest in the astrophysical field. The aim of this experiment is to extend the present data base of measured Ar II transition probabilities to the ultraviolet (UV) region and to improve the quality of some of the already existing data. Despite all the efforts made to assemble an accurate set of transition probabilities (Aki), some of the data recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for Ar II spectral lines in the UV region have uncertainties around 50 per cent. We measured relative intensities of spectral lines emitted from a low-pressure-pulsed discharge lamp which generates an argon plasma. Excitation temperatures of 19 000-22 000K are determined from the Boltzmann-plot of 11 Ar II spectral lines for which accurate Aki data are available from the literature. The transition probabilities of these 11 spectral lines were used for calculating new Aki-values. Electron densities (Ne) of 3.5-9.0 × 1022 m-3 are determined by two-wavelength interferometry method. The measurements yield to a collection of 43 atomic transition probabilities of Ar II lines in the spectral region of 294-386nm, 11 of which are new, at least up to the authors knowledge, and 22 improved Aki-values for which the existing data in the literature have uncertainties around 50 per cent. Comparison with previous data shows how our measurements have good agreement with the most accurate Aki-values from the bibliography, whereas some of the values recommended by NIST present a significant disagreement.