This study creates a compendium of gene expression in normal human tissues suitable as a reference for defining basic organ systems biology. Using oligonucleotide microarrays, we analyze 59 samples representing 19 distinct tissue types. Of ∼7,000 genes analyzed, 451 genes are expressed in all tissue types and designated as housekeeping genes. These genes display significant variation in expression levels among tissues and are sufficient for discerning tissue-specific expression signatures, indicative of fundamental differences in biochemical processes. In addition, subsets of tissue-selective genes are identified that define key biological processes characterizing each organ. This compendium highlights similarities and differences among organ systems and different individuals and also provides a publicly available resource (Human Gene Expression Index, the HuGE Index, http://www.hugeindex.org ) for future studies of pathophysiology.

The interplay between the hydrologic processes that supply, store, and route water in catchment systems and the chemical weathering reactions that add and remove solutes acts as an important control on chemical weathering fluxes. In this study, we use paired measurements of solute chemistry and runoff in four nested catchments that span the transition from the Andes Mountains to the Amazonian foreland floodplain in Peru in order to investigate the links between hydrology and weathering processes and to determine how these links change across a geomorphic gradient. All of the sites show variation in elemental concentrations and ratios with runoff consistent with hydrologically driven changes in lithologic sources, the extent of secondary mineral precipitation, and, potentially, fluid flow paths. In the Andean sites, solute concentrations are relatively constant despite large changes in runoff. This is in direct contrast to the foreland floodplain site, where solute concentrations are diluted as runoff increases. In the Andes-Amazon, the concentration-runoff behavior is correlated with the mean catchment slope angle, which suggests that erosional processes, by modulating the timescales over which weathering reactions occur within the critical zone, can be an underlying control on solute production and therefore on chemical weathering. Due to the co-variation between the geomorphic and hydrologic controls on chemical weathering, weathering fluxes in Andean sites are more sensitive to seasonal changes in runoff than in the foreland floodplain site.

Bioconcentration data are reported for a series of superhydrophobic chemicals including polybrominated biphenyls, brominated benzenes, mirex and polychlorinated biphenyls in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). The observed bioconcentration factors follow a linear relationship with the 1‐octanol/water partition coefficient for chemicals with a log Kow of up to 6. For chemicals with higher Kow values, the bioconcentration factors were lower than expected from the linear relationship. This loss of linear correlation is shown to be caused by (a) a low fraction of bioavailable chemical in the water, (b) elimination of chemical into the feces, (c) an insufficient exposure time to achieve equilibrium and (d) fish growth. Procedures are presented by which the magnitudes and relative contributions of these factors to reducing the apparent bioconcentration factor from linearity can be determined.

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This study was conducted to develop a statistical understanding of exposures to bisphenol A (BPA) in aquatic environments in North America and Europe. Concentrations of BPA have been reported by 89 investigations published between 1997 and 2007. On the basis of an analysis of weighted observations (n = 1068 and 848 for North America and Europe, respectively), BPA was reported at concentrations above the detection limit in 20-51% of freshwater samples. Median BPA concentrations for fresh surface waters for North America and Europe were 0.081 and 0.01 microg/L, respectively, while 95th percentiles were 0.47 and 0.35 microg/L, respectively. In contrast to fresh surface waters, only limited data are available for sediments and less for marine ecosystems. For freshwater sediments in North America (n = 71), the median and 90th percentile concentration (the 95th percentile was not calculable) were 0.6 and 3.4 ng/ g-dw, respectively, while the median and 95th percentile concentration in Europe (n = 249) were 16 and 256 ng/g-dw, respectively. To assess the potential ecological significance, we compared exposure concentrations with available regulatory criteria. The results suggest the frequency of locations in which concentrations are likely to cause adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems is low, with the exception of sediments collected from some highly urbanized and industrial locations.

Background and objectivesWith expansion of the pool of kidney grafts, through the use of higher-risk donors, and increased attention to donor management strategies, the 1-year graft survival rate is subject to change. It is, therefore, useful to elucidate 1-year graft survival rates by dissecting the characteristics of the low-risk and high-risk kidney transplant cases. The objective of our study was to evaluate factors purported to influence the risk of 1-year graft loss in kidney transplant recipients.Design, setting, participants, & measurementsWe searched bibliographic databases from 2000 to 2017 and included observational studies that measured the association between donor, recipient, the transplant operation, or early postoperative complications, and 1-year death-censored graft loss.ResultsWe identified 35 eligible primary studies, with 20 risk factors amenable to meta-analysis. Six factors were associated with graft loss, with moderate to high degree of certainty: donor age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.11 per 10-year increase; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.04 to 1.18), extended criteria donors (HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.28 to 1.42), deceased donors (HR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.32 to 1.82), number of HLA mismatches (HR, 1.08 per one mismatch increase; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.09), recipient age (HR, 1.17 per 10-year increase; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.25), and delayed graft function (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.46 to 2.47) as risk factors for 1-year graft loss. Pooled analyses also excluded, with a high degree of certainty, any associations of cold ischemia time, recipient race, pretransplant body mass index, diabetes, and hypertension with 1-year graft loss.ConclusionsRecipient age, donor age, standard versus extended criteria donor, living versus deceased donor, HLA mismatch, and delayed graft function all predicted 1-year graft survival. The effect of each risk factor is small.