Browsing by Subject "Mercury"

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    Can inorganic elements affect herpesvirus infections in European eels?
    (Springer, 2019-11-14) Muñoz, Pilar; Barcala, Elena; Peñalver, José; Romero García, Diego; Sanidad Animal
    In combination, pollution and pathogens represent a serious threat to the health of European eels that has been increasingly recognized. Thus, the impact of contaminants, cadmium, lead, mercury, and selenium, on anguillid herpesvirus 1 infection in wild European eels has been evaluated. Despite the small sample size, results indicate that selenium and mercury concentrations may compromise the European eel immune system as herpesvirus infection was more prevalent in specimens with higher Hg and Se hepatic concentrations.
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    Comparison of cytopathological changes induced by mercury chloride exposure in renal cell lines (VERO and BGM)
    (Elsevier, 2004-03-31) Romero García, Diego; Gómez Zapata, Maximiliano; Luna, Aurelio; Ciencias Sociosanitarias
    The response to mercury chloride was assessed in two cell lines of renal origin, determining the range of toxic concentrations by Neutral Red assay after 24-h of exposure. Morphological changes in the Buffalo Green Monkey (BGM) and VERO cell lines after exposure to subcytotoxic doses (0.045 and 0.038 mM, respectively) equivalent to EC10 (effective concentrations 10%) of mercury chloride were evaluated at the structural and ultrastructural level by optic, transmission and scanning microscopy. Using transmission electron microscopy, the most notable findings in treated cells were the presence of intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies and apoptotic bodies. Scanning microscopy pointed to a cell with a disrupted perinuclear region and a decreased number of surface microvilli. Similar alterations in both in vivo and in vitro experiments have been described by other authors. We conclude that BGM and VERO renal cell lines can be considered as useful tools for toxicological studies involving mercury chloride.
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    De las badanas a los frascos. Mejoras de los envases para el transporte del mercurio al virreinato del Perú (1788-1825).
    (Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones., 2025) Orche García, Enrique; Amaré Tafalla, María Pilar; Sin departamento asociado
    El presente trabajo trata sobre la sustitución de los envases en los que se transportaba el mercurio entre España y América, que pasó de ser llevado en badanas a frascos de hierro. Con ello se pretendía eliminar las pérdidas de metal que suponían una cuantía económica no despreciable para la Corona, El proceso comenzó en 1788 y tardó más de tres décadas en implantarse, no por problemas técnicos, que se solventaron rápidamente, sino por intereses sociales, políticos y culturales contrapuestos de los sectores privado y gubernamental de la economía española, y por la invasión francesa de España. Tras las pertinentes pruebas, el cambio de envase demostró tener ventajas y quedó implantado no sólo en el tráfico interoceánico sino también en la circulación interna de mercurio en la América española, incluido el virreinato del Perú, en el que se hicieron controles de pesaje que redundaron en la adopción de la medida.
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    European eels and heavy metals from the Mar Menor lagoon (SE Spain)
    (Elsevier, 2020-06-20) Romero García, Diego; Barcala, Elena; Maria Dolores, Emilio; Muñoz, Pilar; Sanidad Animal
    Heavy metal pollution is related to the fall in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) populations. The Mar Menor lagoon (SE Spain) is home to an endangered population of this species, which is still caught for human consumption. The presence of Pb, Cd and Hg in the livers and muscles and the Se:Hg ratio in muscle of 150 eels from this lagoon were determined. Pb concentrations were higher than those reported from other populations in the world, while Cd and Hg concentrations in the tissues analysed were lower. In terms of food safety, Se concentrations play an important role in sequestering Hg in eels from this lagoon.
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    Juan de Buendía, veedor de minas (1577-1626) : su vida y contribución a la transferencia de tecnología minera de Almadén a Huancavelica (Perú).
    (Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones., 2024) Orche García, Enrique; Amaré Tafalla, María Pilar
    El presente trabajo describe la vida del maestro de minas Juan de Buendía que pasó al Perú en 1609 para implantar las técnicas mineras de la mina de Almadén en la minería del mercurio de Huancavelica. Se analizan, igualmente, las aportaciones que realizó, especialmente en el entibado con madera, que permitieron mejorar la seguridad y explotación de la mina a niveles nunca antes vistos
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    Mercuric chloride-induced alterations in stress protein distribution in rat kidney
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 2004) Stacchiotti, A.; Lavazza, A.; Rezzani, R.; Borsani, E.; Rodella, L.F.; Bianchi, R.
    Mercuric chloride (HgCl2) induces acute renal failure associated to tubular impairment in experimental animals and humans. Stress proteins are a superfamily of proteins, comprising heat- shock proteins (HSP) and glucose-regulated proteins (GRP), enhanced or induced in the kidney in response to stress. They act as molecular chaperones that protect organelles and repair essential proteins which have been denatured during adverse conditions. The involvement of stress proteins in mercury-nephrotoxicity has not yet been well clarified. This study was undertaken to detect the tubular distribution of four stress proteins (HSP25, HSP60, GRP75, HSP72) in the rat kidney injected with HgCl2 and to quantify lysosomal and mitochondrial changes in straight proximal tubules, the main mercury target. Sprague-Dawley rats were administered i.p. with progressive sublethal doses of HgCl2 (0.25 mg/kg, 0.5 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg and 3.5 mg/kg) or saline (as controls) and sacrificed after 24 h. In dosages over 0.50 mg/kg, stress proteins increased and changed localization in a dose-dependent manner. HSP25 was focally expressed in altered proximal tubules at 1 mg/kg but in the macula densa it was at 3.5 mg/kg. HSP60 and GRP75 were intense in the nucleus and cytoplasm of proximal tubules but moderate in distal tubules. HSP72 was induced in distal tubules after low exposures but in proximal tubules it happened at the highest dose. Moreover, a significant increase in lysosomal and total mitochondria (normal and with broken cristae) area and density were progressively found after HgCl2 treatments. Stress proteins could represent sensitive biomarkers that strongly correlate with the degree of oxidative injury induced by HgCl2 in the rat proximal tubules.
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    Mercury accumulation, structural damages, and antioxidant and immune status changes in the Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata L.) exposed to methylmercury
    (Springer, 2016-02-23) Chaves-Pozo, E.; Espinosa, C.; Romero, D.; Meseguer, J.; Cuesta Peñafiel, Alberto; Esteban Abad, María de los Ángeles; Guardiola Abellán, Francisco Antonio; Ciencias Sociosanitarias
    In aquatic systems, mercury (Hg) is an environmental contaminant that causes acute and chronic damage to multiple organs. In fish, practically all of the organic Hg found is in the form of methylmercury (MeHg), which has been associated with animal and human health problems. This study evaluates the impact of waterborne-exposure to sublethal concentrations of MeHg (10 [mu]g L^sup -1^) in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). Hg was seen to accumulate in liver and muscle, and histopathological damage to skin and liver was detected. Fish exposed to MeHg showed a decreased biological antioxidant potential and increased levels of the reactive oxygen molecules compared with the values found in control fish (nonexposed). Increased liver antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase and catalase) were detected in 2 day-exposed fish with respect to the values of control fish. However, fish exposed to MeHg for 10 days showed liver antioxidant enzyme levels similar to those of the control fish but had increased hepato-somatic index and histopathological alterations in liver and skin. Serum complement levels were higher in fish exposed to MeHg for 30 days than in control fish. Moreover, head-kidney leukocyte activities increased, although only phagocytosis and peroxidase activities showed a significant increase after 10 and 30 days, respectively. The data show that 30 days of exposure to waterborne MeHg provokes more significant changes in fish than a short-term exposure of 2 or 10 days.
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    Un nuevo testimonio de falsificación monetaria por amalgama de mercurio. La fracción de un solidus de Nuestra Señora de Uralde (Condado de Treviño).
    (Revista Numismática Hécate, 2022) Sánchez Rincón, Raúl
    La acuñación de piezas fraudulentas es una práctica que surgió casi en el mismo instante que se inventó la moneda. Así como en otros ámbitos de la numismática ha habido avances muy significativos en la investigación, no se puede decir lo mismo respecto a las cuestiones relacionadas con la tecnología usada en la fabricación del numerario de época romana. El escaso avance viene derivado porque para su correcta identificación y caracterización es necesario apoyarse en análisis metalográficos, los cuales, por desgracia, no suelen abundar. En este artículo presentamos una serie de mediciones efectuadas con un equipo portátil de fluorescencia de rayos X (XRF) a dos ejemplares depositados en el Museo de Arqueología de Álava. Los datos obtenidos nos han permitido reconocer y/o confirmar a qué técnicas recurrieron los falsarios para conseguir que monedas elaboradas en metales poco valiosos (aleaciones de base cobre) pasaran por genuinas piezas de plata u oro.
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    Tissue Distribution of Mercury and Its Relationship with Selenium in Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus L.)
    (MDPI, ) Belmonte, Antonio; Muñoz, Pilar; Santos Echeandía, Juan; Romero García, Diego; Sanidad Animal; Ciencias Sociosanitarias
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    Total removal of Hg (II) from wastewater using magnetic nanoparticles coated with nanometric Ag and functionalized with sodium 2-mercaptoethane sulfonate
    (Springer Nature, 2020-03-17) Vicente Martínez, Yésica; Caravaca, Manuel; Soto Meca, Antonio; Química Analítica
    Divalent mercury (Hg (II)) is the predominant mercury species in aquatic environments. Hg (II) combines easily with human enzymes, thus causing acute diseases, even at very low concentrations. Among existing procedures to remove Hg (II) from water, adsorption is widely used, achieving high removal efficiencies. However, most actual adsorption techniques require high temperatures, long times or tedious procedures. Here we present a novel, simple and fast method to remove Hg (II) from wastewater by using magnetic-core nanoparticles coated with metallic silver and functionalized with sodium 2-mercaptoethane sulfonate. This adsorbent was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, which showed a contact surface area of the adsorbent equal to 116.476 m2/g. The equilibrium isotherm is characterized by the Langmuir model. Results show that 100% adsorption efficiency is achieved in 30 seconds of contact time, at pH 6.2 and room temperature, employing a low dose of adsorbent. The adsorbent can be recovered and recycled, keeping 100% adsorption efficiency for two additional cycles. The presence of other ions commonly found in aqueous media does not interfere with Hg (II) adsorption.
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    Trace metals in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded along the Murcia coastline, Mediterranean Sea, during the period 2009-2015.
    (Elsevier, 2019-08) Martínez-López, Emma; Peñalver, J.; Escriña, A.; Lara, L.; Gens, M.J.; María Dolores, Emilio; Alcaraz, A.; García Fernández, Antonio Juan; Ciencias Sociosanitarias
    Mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), selenium (Se) and arsenic (As) concentrations in internal tissues of 72 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from Murcia Region (Mediterranean coastline) have been investigated for the first time. Hg showed the highest concentration, followed by Se, Cd, As and Pb. In general, the levels of metal found in this study were similar to those described in similar studies in the Mediterranean Sea. However, in some adult specimens, Hg liver concentrations were related with toxic effects in cetacean. A significant correlation was observed with age, likewise between Se and Hg and Cd in tissues, which agree with detoxify effect attributed to Se through inert complex formation. Molar ratio Hg:Se in liver was close to 1:1 in some specimens, which would indicate overload of the Hg-Se detoxify function and compromised health. These results could contribute to a better knowledge of the distribution of these persistent pollutants in the Mediterranean Sea
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    Vida y hacienda de un relevante minero del azogue de Huancavelica (Perú): el testamento de Juan Sotomayor (1550-1610).
    (Asociación Española de Americanicistas, 2022) Amaré Tafalla, María Pilar; Orche García, Enrique
    El presente trabajo trata de la biografía del importante minero Juan de Sotomayor que explotó minas de mercurio en Huancavelica (Perú) entre c.1572 y 1610. Para ello se ha tenido en cuenta, además de documentos de la época, su testamento, descubierto recientemente en el Archivo Histórico Provincial de dicha ciudad y que se presenta por primera vez. Con este trabajo se amplían notablemente los conocimientos sobre Sotomayor, que ha recibido escasa atención de los investigadores pese a su importancia histórica, pues fue uno de los principales suministradores, si no el primero, del azogue que se empleó en Potosí para la amalgamación de la plata que, remitida a Europa, financió el mantenimiento del imperio español.