The structure and material composition of ossified aortic valves identified using a set of scientific methods

Degenerative aortic stenosis has become a common and dangerous disease in recent decades. This disease leads to the mineralization of aortic valves, their gradual thickening and loss of functionality. We studied the detailed assessment of the proportion and composition of inorganic and organic components in the ossified aortic valve, using a set of analytical methods applied in science: polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The sample valves showed the occurrence of phosphorus and calcium in the form of phosphate and calcium carbonate, hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite and hydroxy-fluorapatite, with varying content of inorganic components from 65 to 90 wt%, and with phased development of degenerative disability. The outer layers of the plaque contained an organic component with peptide bonds, fatty acids, proteins and cholesterol. The results show a correlation between the formation of fluorapatite in aortic valves and in other parts of the human bodies, associated with the formation of bones.     

锌在生物磷灰石中的晶体化学研究进展

Zn在生物磷灰石中的晶体化学行为不同于在地质体中,传统的磷灰石类质同像替代理论对生物磷灰石中的Ca位替换并不完全适用。为了解释生物磷灰石中Zn的出现,本文对已知的生物磷灰石中Zn的存在情况、Zn对Ca的替代机制以及Zn替代对生物磷灰石的影响等内容进行了综述,并就Zn在生物磷灰石中的晶体化学研究对人体肿瘤诊疗的启示作用进行了简单的讨论。理论和实验均表明Zn可以进入生物磷灰石晶格,占据有Ca缺陷的磷灰石晶格中的Ca2位空缺,使局部结构整体收缩。Zn的掺入对生物磷灰石的晶粒尺寸、结晶度、晶胞参数等均会产生较大的影响。当Zn被固定在人体肿瘤伴有的病理性钙化晶格中时,其可能对周围组织及体液中的Zn含量产生影响,进而影响人体内Zn的新陈代谢。     

The hydrography and biology of a bloom of the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi in the northern North Sea

In June/July 1994 a study was made of a small bloom of the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi in an area of the North Sea to the east of the Shetland Islands. Observations on the hydrography of the study area indicated the bloom was associated with Atlantic water and was confined to an area in which a stable shallow mixed layer had formed. There was no evidence to suggest association of horizontal physical structure with the bloom development. High cell densities of >1– cells dm⁻³, together with low concentrations of PIC (<50 μg dm⁻³) and detached liths (2– liths cm⁻³) indicated that the bloom was studied at an early stage of development. Biochemical and physiological observations indicated active growth was taking place. The results presented are discussed in comparison with previous studies carried out in both oceanic and shelf seas.     

三种大型钙化绿藻仙掌藻对海水变化的生理响应

The effects of seawater temperature on the physiological performance of three Halimeda species were studied for a period of 28 d. Five treatments were established for Halimeda cylindracea, Halimeda opuntia and Halimeda lacunalis, in triplicate aquaria representing a factorial temperature with 24°C, 28°C, 32°C, 34°C and 36°C,respectively. The average F_v/F_m of these species ranged from 0.732 to 0.756 between 24°C and 32°C but declined sharply between 34°C(0.457±0.035) and 36°C(0.122±0.014). Calcification was highest at 28°C, with net calcification rates(Gnet) of(20.082±2.482) mg/(g·d),(12.825±1.623) mg/(g·d) and(6.411±1.029) mg/(g·d) for H.cylindracea, H. opuntia and H. lacunalis, respectively. Between 24°C and 32°C, the specific growth rate(SGR) of H.lacunalis(0.079%–0.110% d~(–1)) was lower than that of H. cylindracea(0.652%–1.644% d~(–1)) and H. opuntia(0.360%–1.527% d~(–1)). Three Halimeda species gradually bleached at 36°C during the study period.Malondialdehyde(MDA) and proline levels in tissues of the three Halimeda were higher in 34–36°C than those in24–32°C. The results indicate that seawater temperature with range of 24–32°C could benefit the growth and calcification of these Halimeda species, however, extreme temperatures above 34°C have negative impacts. The measured physiological parameters also revealed that H. cylindracea and H. opuntia displayed broader temperature tolerance than H. lacunalis.     

南海南部最近几十年珊瑚钙化趋势与大气CO2浓度升高和全球变暖的联系

本研究11个现代滨珊瑚年龄在16~49年之间,包括两个种属Porites lutea和P.lobata,于2008年7~9月采自南海南部南沙群岛海域水深3~4m处。用数字图像技术和实测方法沿珊瑚骨骼主生长轴测量生长率、密度和钙化率。结果表明,自1993~2008年,11个珊瑚平均生长率为 0.96±0.05cm/a,16年增加了10.77%,变化率0.67% /a; 密度为 1.17±0.03g/cm3,16年减小了6.92%,变化率为-0.43% /a; 钙化率为 1.13±0.05g/cm2 ·a,16年增加了2.69%,变化率为0.17% /a。标准差分析显示,密度是3个生长参数中最不易变化的参数,因此,钙化率变化主要取决于生长率。珊瑚3个生长参数的趋势变化为: 多数珊瑚生长率和钙化率都增加而其密度减小,少数珊瑚3个生长参数都增加或都减小。线性相关分析显示,多数珊瑚生长率和钙化率与大气CO2浓度和温度正相关而其密度与之负相关,然而,少数珊瑚与之反相关或相关关系不明显。这些相关关系进一步揭示,过去50年,人类活动产生的温室气体增加引起南海表层温度升高使珊瑚呼吸作用增强,从而导致其生长率和钙化率增加而密度减小。而且,少数珊瑚对大气CO2浓度升高和全球增温显示的差异响应可能与珊瑚样品个体生长的差异和局地环境的影响有关。     

心血管主动脉粥样硬化斑块钙化物矿物学特征研究

心血管系统中主动脉粥样硬化斑块的钙化主要发生在动脉内膜,能够预测心血管系统疾病的风险性和死亡率,对钙化物的矿物组成及形成机制的分析有望为主动脉粥样硬化的发生发展过程提供辅助信息。本文以心血管主动脉粥样硬化斑块中的钙化物为研究对象,采用偏光显微镜、扫描电子显微镜及X射线能谱仪、微区X射线衍射、透射电子显微镜以及傅里叶变换红外光谱仪等矿物学研究手段,对原位和分离的钙化物的矿物形态、成分、结构等进行了较为系统的观察测试。研究结果表明,主动脉粥样硬化斑块钙化物的主要成分为纳米尺寸的粒状、针状及柱状的B型碳羟磷灰石,并与低n（Ca）/n（P）的磷酸钙矿物共存。钙化初期是沉淀在胶原纤维上的低n（Ca）/n（P）磷酸钙矿物小球,在钙化发展过程中,胶原纤维随之钙化并不断富集,形成最终的块状钙化。     

Studying interactions between excavating sponges and massive corals by the use of hybrid cores

Excavating sponges often compete with reef‐building corals. To study sponge–coral interactions, we devised a design of hybrid cores that allows sponges and corals to be arranged side by side with similar size and shape, mimicking the situation of neighbouring organisms. Compared to earlier methods that attached sponge cores onto coral surfaces, hybrid cores provide an opportunity to study organism interactions under conditions more equal to the interacting partners. The use of hybrid cores was demonstrated for the excavating sponge Cliona orientalis and the massive coral Porites, which commonly interact on the Great Barrier Reef. Cliona orientalis and massive Porites were cut into half‐moon shaped explants and combined as hybrid cores under replicate conditions. After 90 days in an aquarium setting, positive growth of Cl. orientalis along with net bioerosion were observed in sponge control cores that combined Cl. orientalis with blank substrate. However, when Cl. orientalis and massive Porites were in contact in interaction cores, the sponge displayed negative growth and undetectable bioerosion, and was slightly overgrown by the coral. Cliona orientalis may have developed tissue extension beneath the living coral tissue, but growth and net calcification rates of massive Porites were apparently not affected by Cl. orientalis when comparing the interaction cores to coral control cores that combined massive Porites with blank substrate. Overall, the present work demonstrated that hybrid cores can be used to generate conditions suitable for studying sponge–coral interactions in the laboratory, which can also be applied in the field.     

Deep-sea coral geochemistry: Implication for the vital effect

Deep-sea corals hold a great potential as a key to important aspects of paleoceanography for at least two reasons, 1) they offer temporal high resolution records of deep-sea environment, because they have growth banding structures, 2) and they are well suited for studying vital effects, because the deep-sea environment does not change over short time scales. However, the relationship between the chemical composition of deep-sea coral skeletons and environmental factors is not well understood. In this study, the chemical composition of deep-sea corals was measured in bulk individuals and along skeletal micro-structures. Among the bulk individuals, δ¹⁸O value and Sr / Ca ratio show a negative but weak correlation with ambient temperature. On the other hand, the Mg / Ca ratio has a positive, weak correlation with the temperature. Large variations were found among samples collected from similar temperature. The variation is up to 3.8‰ for δ¹⁸O, 0.9 mmol/mol for Sr / Ca ratios, and 0.78 mmol/mol for Mg / Ca ratios among samples with ambient average temperature within 1 °C. This variation may be due to a large vital effect. The centers of calcification (COCs), which were formed at high calcification rate, have lower Sr / Ca, U / Ca and higher Mg / Ca ratios than surrounding fasciculi. This chemical distribution supports the model that elemental incorporation depends on calcification rate. This suggests that calcification rate is a very important factor for the chemical composition in deep-sea corals and is one of the most significant mechanisms of the vital effect. Because of this large vital effect, further investigations are essential to use the deep-sea coral as a temperature proxy.     

Partial Pressure of Carbon Dioxide in Coral Reef Lagoon Waters: Comparative Study of Atolls and Barrier Reefs in the Indo-Pacific Oceans

Factors controlling the CO₂ system parameters, including the partial pressure of CO₂ (PCO₂) in coral reef waters, were investigated in three mid-oceanic reefs of the Indo-Pacific region. Surface water PCO₂ in the lagoons of Majuro Atoll and Palau barrier reef in the Pacific were 25 µatm and 48 µatm higher than those of the offshore waters, respectively, while South Male Atoll lagoon of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean exhibited relatively small difference in PCO₂ compared to the offshore water. Observations from Majuro Atoll and Palau barrier reef are consistent with the view that calcium carbonate production predominates in coral reefs. On the other hand, results from South Male Atoll can be attributed to the thorough flushing of the lagoon, which is connected to the open ocean by numerous deep channels. The offshore-lagoon PCO₂ difference depends on system-level net organic-to-inorganic carbon production ratio while reef topography, especially residence time of the lagoon, has a secondary effect on the magnitude of the offshore-lagoon difference. A potential for releasing CO₂ might be more evident in an enclosed atoll where the reef water has a longer residence time. Oceanic atoll and barrier reef lagoons, which are in the terminal stage of evolutionary history of oceanic volcanic islands, have the potential to release CO₂ to the atmosphere.