Publications by authors named "Renata J Menendez-Helman"

The study of multiple biomarkers in bioindicator species is a useful tool to evaluate water quality in addition to physicochemical analysis. The aim of this work was to study the toxicity of water samples from two sites with different anthropogenic impacts (R: near a residential area and FP: close to horticultural farms and industrial waste treatment plants) from Las Catonas sub-basin (Reconquista River basin) in the native gastropod Biomphalaria straminea. Some physicochemical parameters and chlorpyrifos concentration were measured in water samples.

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Lugano Lake is located in an Ecological Reserve of Buenos Aires City. Biomonitoring of its water quality is essential due to its importance as a place for recreation and protection of native species. is a native hermaphrodite aquatic gastropod that inhabits different freshwater bodies of Argentina and was recently selected as a potential bioindicator.

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Environmental changes and human activities can alter the structure and diversity of aquatic microbial communities. In this work, we analyzed the bacterial community dynamics of an urban stream to understand how these factors affect the composition of river microbial communities. Samples were taken from a stream situated in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which flows through residential, peri-urban horticultural, and industrial areas.

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Gills represent one of the major sites of gas exchange of fish, consequently they are in continuous close contact with the aquatic environment and its pollutants. In the present study the effects on gills of pejerrey fish, Odontesthes bonariensis, under glyphosate-based herbicide subchronic exposure were analyzed. Adult animals were exposed to sublethal concentrations of a glyphosate-based commercial formulation (1 and 10 PMG mg L, PMG: glyphosate active ingredient) for 15 days, while control group was maintained in rearing water.

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The herbicide glyphosate [N- (phosphonomethyl) glycine; PMG] and the insecticide chlorpyrifos [O, O-diethyl O- (3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinyl) -phosphorothioate, CPF] are widely used in agricultural practices around the world and can reach aquatic environments. Therefore, it is necessary to characterize the toxicity of these pesticides on non-target species. The use of biomarkers as a tool to assess responses of organisms exposed to pollutants requires the understanding of their natural fluctuation and the dose-response relationship.

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Background: Glycosidases profusion in male reproductive fluids suggests a possible relationship with sperm function. Although Hexosaminidase (Hex) is the most active glycosidase in epididymal fluid and seminal plasma, as well as in spermatozoa, Glucosidase is considered a marker for epididymal function and azoospermia.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine Hex activity in seminal plasma from patients with normal and abnormal spermograms and analyze its correlation with seminal parameters.

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17β-Estradiol (E2) and synthetic 17α-Ethinylestradiol (EE2) are estrogenic compounds present in surface waters as a consequence of municipal sewage discharges. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of E2, EE2 and its mixtures on different reproductive parameters and embryo-larval survival in pejerrey fish (Odontesthes bonariensis). In order to analyze the effect of these compounds on sperm quality, fertilization%, embryo-larval survival (%), and the point of no return (PNR), different assays were performed using concentrations 175, 350, 700 and 1400 ng/L of E2; 22.

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Water pollution by agrochemicals is currently one of the most critical problems for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems. Glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine); PMG] is the main broad-spectrum post emergence herbicide used for the control of a wide range of pests in soybean crops. Adenylate energy charge (AEC) reflects the energy balance of the cells, a measure of the energy available from the adenylate pool: adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP).

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The use of biomarkers as a tool to assess responses of organisms exposed to pollutants in toxicity bioassays, as well as in aquatic environmental risk assessment protocols, requires the understanding of the natural fluctuation of the particular biomarker. The aim of this study was to characterize the intrinsic variations of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in tissues of a native freshwater teleost fish to be used as biomarker in toxicity tests, taking into account both seasonal influence and fish size. Specific AChE activity was measured by the method of Ellman et al.

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The toxic effect of sublethal concentrations (1, 17.5 and 35 mg L(-1)) of pure glyphosate was evaluated on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the fish species, Cnesterodon decemmaculatus. Acute bioassays (96 h) under laboratory conditions were conducted and homogenates for each specimen corresponding to the anterior, middle and posterior body sections were performed.

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Calcium (Ca(2+)) is an absolute requirement for a decisive sperm function event: the acrosome reaction (AR). Physiologically, sperm capacitation is a prerequisite for this specialized exocytosis and both events are intimately related. In an effort to separate capacitation from AR, we have been using a modified sperm incubation medium where Ca(2+) is replaced by Strontium (Sr(2+)).

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