BACKGROUND

We have previously shown, using the chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model of in vivo angiogenesis, that X-rays act on the extracellular matrix and enhance normal and tumor-induced angiogenesis. In the present work, we studied the effect of X-rays on the gene expression of three proteins that are important regulators of angiogenesis: vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), heparin affin regulatory peptide (HARP) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS).

METHODS

An area of 1 cm2 of the CAM, restricted by a plastic ring was irradiated at room temperature. The expression of the genes was studied using RT-PCR and the amounts of the mRNAs were quantified using image analysis of the corresponding agarose gels of the RT-PCR products.

RESULTS

VEGF mRNA was decreased 6 h after irradiation. However, at later time points, VEGF expression was significantly increased compared with the nonirradiated tissue. Similarly, X-rays down-regulated both HARP and iNOS expression 6 h after irradiation and the effect was reversed at later time points, similarly to the effect of X-rays on VEGF.

CONCLUSIONS

These data support the notion that X-rays increase the expression of genes that favor angiogenesis.

BACKGROUND

Leprosy is complicated by immunological reactions which can occur before, during and after successful completion of multidrug therapy. Genetic studies have suggested that polymorphisms in toll-like receptors (TLRs) may affect the susceptibility of an individual with leprosy to developing Type 1 reactions.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the gene and protein expression of TLRs in the cutaneous lesions of leprosy Type 1 reactions at the onset of reaction and during systemic corticosteroid therapy.

METHODS

Patients who were being treated for leprosy type 1 reactions with corticosteroids as part of a randomized controlled trial of corticosteroid treatment had skin biopsies performed before, during and at the end of treatment. The gene and protein expression of TLR2 and TLR4 were measured.

RESULTS

We have demonstrated that the gene hARP-P0 is a suitable control gene for TLR gene expression studies in this population. The gene and protein expression of TLR2 and TLR4 were both reduced significantly during corticosteroid treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study to examine the expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in vivo in individuals experiencing leprosy Type 1 reactions. The data support the possibility of an important role for TLR2 and TLR4 in the pathogenesis of this important complication of leprosy.

All methods of diet analysis in marine mammals, including hard part analysis (HPA), have biases affecting the accuracy of prey-species identification and frequency in the estimated diet due to differential consumption, digestion and retention. Using PCR amplification of specific prey DNA with species-specific primers, we developed a DNA-based method that complements HPA and provides an alternative means to detect prey from stomach contents of Harp Seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus). The target size that could be reliably amplified was determined using a digestion time-series of Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) tissue in simulated seal stomachs. Various target lengths were trialed using general teleost primers; amplicons of approximately 800 bp or less were consistently obtained. Prey species-specific PCR primers for Atlantic Cod, Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida) and Capelin (Mallotus villosus) were designed and tested with DNA from the stomach contents of 31 Harp Seals. Amplicons were obtained for all three species-specific primer sets. Amplification results compared with HPA revealed: (i) Atlantic Cod hard parts were found in five stomachs where no Atlantic Cod DNA amplified, suggesting that Atlantic Cod may be over-represented in the estimated diet, (ii) amplification of Arctic Cod DNA occurred for 17 stomachs, including all 12 stomachs with, and five stomachs without, Arctic Cod hard parts, and (iii) Capelin DNA amplified for four of five stomachs with Capelin hard parts and for one stomach without Capelin hard parts. We conclude that PCR amplification of specific prey DNA provides a viable means to complement Harp Seal diet analysis by HPA, but suggest that valuable information for quantitative diet analysis rests in a quantitative PCR approach.

Mutations in the pantothenate kinase 2 gene (PANK2) are the cause of pantothenate kinase associated neurodegeneration (PKAN), an autosomal recessive (AR) disorder characterized by motor symptoms as such as dystonia or parkinsonism, mental retardation, retinitis pigmentosa and iron accumulation in the brain. As many neurodegenerative conditions have similar clinical features we screened a number of adult and childhood onset movement disorders for PANK2 mutation. This included cases with neurodegeneration and brain iron accumulation, corticobasal degeneartion, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple system atropy, giant axonal neuropathy (GAN), neuroaxonal dystrophy (NAD), Guam dementia and HARP syndrome (pallido-pyramidal syndrome and hypoprebetalipoproteinemia, acanthocytosis, retinitis pigmentosa and pallidal degeneration). From our series of patients one patient with PKAN and a progressive severe dystonic syndrome, cerebellar ataxia, retinitis pigmentosa and eventual anarthria had a novel combination of two compound heterozygote mutations identified in the PANK2 gene, G->>A transition at base 1238 (G411R) and a C->>A transition at base 1184 (A395E). In the patient with HARP syndrome two compound heterozygote mutations (Met327Thr and IVS5-1 G to T) in the PANK2 gene were found. No other mutations were found in any of the other patient groups, suggesting that PANK2 mutations are not associated with the aetiology of these adult degenerative conditions and confirms the genetic heterogeneity in neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation.

This study was undertaken to measure whether young harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) and hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) drink seawater and, if so, to investigate how the excess salt load is handled. Blood and urine samples were collected from hooded seal pups (n = 3) and harp seal pups (n = 3) after 2 weeks of freshwater exposure, at intervals during 3 weeks of seawater exposure and, finally, after 2 weeks of re-exposure to fresh water. Total water turnover, as measured by injection of tritiated water, was 2200 ml x day(-1) and 3300 ml x day(-1) in hooded seals and harp seals, respectively. The extent of mariposia was taken as the difference between total water turnover and influx of water through food (free and metabolic water) and respiratory water exchange. Seawater drinking amounted to 14% and 27% of total water turnover (rH2O) for the hooded seals and harp seals, respectively. Further evidence of mariposia was obtained from an increase in the excretion rate of the urine osmolytes Na+, Cl- and Mg2+, during the period of seawater exposure. It is concluded that water influx due to seawater drinking can not be excluded as a source of error when estimating food consumption of free-ranging harp seals and hooded seals, by use of labeled water techniques.

BACKGROUND

Heparin affin regulatory peptide (HARP) is an 18-kDa secreted protein that has been implicated in tumor growth and angiogenesis, although the mechanisms involved remain largely unknown. In the present work, the effect of human recombinant HARP on the expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors KDR, Flt-1 and neuropilin-1 was studied in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC).

METHODS

The mRNA and protein levels of VEGF receptors were estimated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Cell proliferation and migration were measured by MTT, direct counting of the cells and modified Boyden chamber assays.

RESULTS

HARP decreased the expression of KDR but increased the expression of Flt-1 and neuropilin-1 at both the mRNA and protein level. The effect reached a maximum 4 h after the addition of HARP into the cell culture medium and was reversed at later time-points. When HARP was added to the culture medium 4 h before the addition of VEGF165, it inhibited VEGF165-induced proliferation and migration of HUVEC.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that HARP affects the expression of VEGF receptors and inhibits VEGF165-induced activation of HUVEC.

Recent years have seen social robotic pets introduced as a means of treating behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, and many show promising potential. In this study, we sought to explore family members' perceptions of the Japanese-developed baby harp seal, Paro (version 9), and a look-alike, nonrobotic Plush Toy, when used by their relative with dementia for 15 min, 3 afternoons per week for 10 weeks.

The study employed a descriptive qualitative approach, which was nested within a larger cluster randomized controlled trial. A convenience sample of 20 family members (n = 10 each from the Paro and Plush Toy conditions) with relatives in 9 long-term care facilities in Queensland, Australia, completed individual semi-structured interviews (telephone or face-to-face). Inductive, data-driven thematic analysis of the data was undertaken with the assistance of the qualitative management software, ATLAS.ti®.

Family members of long-term care residents with dementia expressed positive perceptions of the Paro, perceiving that it improved mood, reduced agitation, and provided opportunity for communication for their relative. Negative perceptions of the Plush Toy were given by family members, primarily because of its lack of movement and engagement.

Family members were keen for their older relative with dementia to use a social robot that moved and engaged with them, and Plush Toys that were static and unresponsive were perceived as being unimportant in improving quality of life. However, the current cost of Paro was identified by family members as a major limitation to use.

BACKGROUND

CMR allows investigating cardiac contraction, rotation and torsion non-invasively by the use of tagging sequences. Three-dimensional tagging has been proposed to cover the whole-heart but data acquisition requires three consecutive breath holds and hence demands considerable patient cooperation. In this study we have implemented and studied k-t undersampled cine 3D tagging in conjunction with k-t PCA reconstruction to potentially permit for single breath-hold acquisitions.

METHODS

The performance of undersampled cine 3D tagging was investigated using computer simulations and in-vivo measurements in 8 healthy subjects and 5 patients with myocardial infarction. Fully sampled data was obtained and compared to retrospectively and prospectively undersampled acquisitions. Fully sampled data was acquired in three consecutive breath holds. Prospectively undersampled data was obtained within a single breath hold. Based on harmonic phase (HARP) analysis, circumferential shortening, rotation and torsion were compared between fully sampled and undersampled data using Bland-Altman and linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

In computer simulations, the error for circumferential shortening was 2.8 ± 2.3% and 2.7 ± 2.1% for undersampling rates of R = 3 and 4 respectively. Errors in ventricular rotation were 2.5 ± 1.9% and 3.0 ± 2.2% for R = 3 and 4. Comparison of results from fully sampled in-vivo data acquired with prospectively undersampled acquisitions showed a mean difference in circumferential shortening of -0.14 ± 5.18% and 0.71 ± 6.16% for R = 3 and 4. The mean differences in rotation were 0.44 ± 1.8° and 0.73 ± 1.67° for R = 3 and 4, respectively. In patients peak, circumferential shortening was significantly reduced (p < 0.002 for all patients) in regions with late gadolinium enhancement.

CONCLUSIONS

Undersampled cine 3D tagging enables significant reduction in scan time of whole-heart tagging and facilitates quantification of shortening, rotation and torsion of the left ventricle without adding significant errors compared to previous 3D tagging approaches.

PURPOSE Accurate tissue motion tracking within the tongue can help professionals diagnose and treat vocal tract-related disorders, evaluate speech quality before and after surgery, and conduct various scientific studies. The authors compared tissue tracking results from 4 widely used deformable registration (DR) methods applied to cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with harmonic phase (HARP)-based tracking applied to tagged MRI. METHOD Ten subjects repeated the phrase "a geese" multiple times while sagittal images of the head were collected at 26 Hz, first in a tagged MRI data set and then in a cine MRI data set. HARP tracked the motion of 8 specified tissue points in the tagged data set. Four DR methods including diffeomorphic demons and free-form deformations based on cubic B-spline with 3 different similarity measures were used to track the same 8 points in the cine MRI data set. Individual points were tracked and length changes of several muscles were calculated using the DR- and HARP-based tracking methods. RESULTS The results showed that the DR tracking errors were nonsystematic and varied in direction, amount, and timing across speakers and within speakers. Comparison of HARP and DR tracking with manual tracking showed better tracking results for HARP except at the tongue surface, where mistracking caused greater errors in HARP than DR. CONCLUSIONS Tissue point tracking using DR tracking methods contains nonsystematic tracking errors within and across subjects, making it less successful than tagged MRI tracking within the tongue. However, HARP sometimes mistracks points at the tongue surface of tagged MRI because of its limited bandpass filter and tag pattern fading, so that DR has better success measuring surface tissue points on cine MRI than HARP does. Therefore, a hybrid method is being explored.

Persistent organochlorines (OC) contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, Dichlorophenyltrichloroethane (DDT)- and chlordane (CHL) related compounds, hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCH) isomers and chlorobenzenes (CBz) were determined in blubber of harp seals (Phoca groenlandica), ringed seals (Phoca hispida) and bearded seals (Eringnathus barbatus) as well as in fishes and invertebrates from the White Sea, in northwest Russia. Highest summation operator PCB and summation operator DDT concentrations were found in samples from two male bearded seals (means of 4150 ng/g lw and 3950 ng/g lw, respectively). Female harp seals had mean summation operator PCB and summation operator DDT concentrations of 1070+/-504 ng/g lw and 619+/-328 ng/g lw, respectively. Male and female adult ringed seals had similar mean summation operator PCB concentrations as harp seals (955+/-385 ng/g lw and 999+/-304 ng/g lw, respectively). summation operator CHL concentrations ranged from 63+/-29 ng/g lw in blubber of female adult ringed seals, to 322+/-156 ng/g lw in adult harp seals and averaged 465 ng/g lw in bearded seals. HCH isomers, mirex and chlorobenzenes were detected in all seal samples but were present at lower levels than summation operator CHL, summation operator DDT and summation operator PCB. Concentrations of summation operator CHL, summation operator DDT and summation operator PCB in ringed seals from the White Sea were within the range reported for the Barents Sea but lower than in ringed seals from the Kara Sea. Temporal trends were investigated by comparing concentrations of OCs in blubber of harp seal pups collected in 1992 with pups of the same age collected in 1998. The declines over the 6 year period ranged from approximately 33% for summation operator DDT to 60% for summation operator PCB. These declines are consistent with reports of declining concentrations summation operator DDT in seawater from the White Sea and inflowing rivers in the 1980's and early 1990s. The major OC contaminants in fishes from the White Sea were DDT-related compounds and PCBs. Navaga (Eleginus navaga) had the highest concentrations of the 5 fish species studied with mean summation operator PCB of 41+/-6 ng/g wet wt. while lowest mean concentrations were present in cod muscle (16+/-8 ng/g ww). Concentrations of hexachlorobenzene (HCB), DDT, CHL-related compounds and PCB congeners were strongly correlated with trophic level of the organisms assigned using delta(15)N values, while beta-HCH, gamma-HCH and cis-chlordane showed no relationship with trophic level. Food web magnification factors (FWMFs) for p,p'-DDE, alpha-HCH, oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor the White Sea were similar to those from marine food webs in the Barents Sea and the Canadian arctic, while FWMFs for HCB and PCBs were generally lower. Overall the results suggest that the White Sea marine food differs in terms of the availability of contaminants in comparison to studies of open ocean arctic food webs due to proximity to urban/industrial areas and greater importance of benthic food sources.

Over the years, medical practice in Nigeria has evolved in scope and practice, in terms of changing disease patterns, patients' needs, and social expectations. In addition, there is a growing sentiment especially among the general public and some health workers that most doctors are bad managers. Besides drawing examples from some doctors in top management positions that have performed less creditably, critics also harp on the fact that more needs to be done to improve the training of doctors in health management. This article describes the role of doctors in this changing scene of practice and highlights the core areas where doctors' managerial competencies are required to improve the quality of healthcare delivery. Areas such as health care financing, essential drugs and supplies management, and human resource management are emphasized. Resources to be managed and various skills needed to function effectively at the different levels of management are also discussed. To ensure that doctors are well-skilled in managerial competencies, the article concludes by suggesting a curriculum review at undergraduate and postgraduate levels of medical training to include newer but relevant courses on health management in addition to the existing ones, whereas also advocating that doctors be incentivized to go for professional training in health management and not only in the core clinical specialties.

Angiogenesis is the physiological process involving the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. In normal or pathological angiogenesis, angiogenic growth factors activate cognate receptors on endothelial cells. Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and heparin affin regulatory peptide (HARP) are two heparin-binding growth factors and were described for their pro-angiogenic properties on human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVEC). We now show that HARP acts as a mediator of FGF-2's stimulatory effects, since it is able to inhibit the proliferation and migration of HUVEC induced by FGF-2. We demonstrate by ELISA and optical biosensor binding assay that HARP and FGF-2 interact through direct binding. We have adapted a previously developed structural proteomics method for the identification of residues involved in protein-protein interactions. Application of this method showed that two sequences in HARP were involved in binding FGF-2. One was in the C-thrombospondin type 1 repeat (C-TSR-1) domain and the other in the C-terminal domain of HARP. The identification of these regions as mediating the binding of FGF-2 was confirmed by ELISA using synthetic peptides, which are as well mediators of FGF-2-induced proliferation, migration and tubes formation on HUVEC in vitro. These results imply that besides a regulation of the proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of HUVEC by direct interaction of FGF-2 with its receptors, an alternative pathway exists involving its binding to growth factors such as HARP.

OBJECTIVE

To identify the presence of acarine ectoparasites and determine whether there is any potential public health risk in Panti Forest Reserve, Johore, Malaysia.

METHODS

Trapping of animals and avifauna was conducted simultaneously along 5 expedition trails using 150 wire traps, 10 harp traps and 30 mist nets for 6 consecutive nights. A total of 140 animals consisting of 7 species of birds, 19 species of bats, 6 species of rodents and 1 species of tree-shrew as well as 8 myriapods were examined.

RESULTS

Infestation rates of ticks, mesostigmatid mites and chiggers on animals examined were 24.3%, 28.6% and 27.9%, respectively. Infestation on bats was low (1.5%) and none occurred on birds. Majority of ticks extracted were at immature stages (78.9%). Genera of ticks on animals were Amblyomma, Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis and Ixodes. Ixodes granulatus was the only species of ticks identified from the animals. Examination of ticks under vegetation revealed 54% adults leading to identification of 3 species of ticks. A total of 7 species of mesostigmatid mites were found. 6 species were on rodent, Maxomys surifer and another one species, Laelaps nuttalli was found only on Leopoldamys sabanus. Laelaps sanguisugus was the only mesostigmatid found infesting tree-shrews. Seven genera of chiggers were identified. From this, 5 genera were on rodents, 4 genera on tree-shrews and 1 genus on a bat.

CONCLUSIONS

A total of 16 genera, 2 sub-genus and 14 species of acarine ectoparasites were found in this area. Findings of the survey demonstrate the presence of three spesies of acarine ectoparasites which have potential health risk i.e. Ixodes granulatus, Laelaps nuttalli and Leptotrombidium deliense.

Medical comorbidity in people with long-term mental illness is common and often undetected; however, these consumers frequently experience problems accessing and receiving appropriate treatment in public health-care services. The aim of the present study was to understand the lived experience of mental health consumers with medical comorbidity and their carers transitioning through tertiary medical to primary care services. An interpretative, phenomenological analysis approach was used, and semistructured, video-recorded, qualitative interviews were used with 12 consumers and four primary caregivers. Four main themes and related subthemes were abstracted from the data, highlighting consumer's and carers' experience of transition through tertiary medical to primary care services: (i) accessing tertiary services is difficult and time consuming; (ii) contrasting experiences of clinician engagement and support; (iii) lack of continuity between tertiary medical and primary care services; and (iv) Mental Health Hospital Admission Reduction Programme (MH HARP) clinicians facilitating transition. Our findings have implications for organisational change, expanding the role of MH HARP clinicians (whose primary role is to provide consumers with intensive support and care coordination to prevent avoidable tertiary medical hospital use), and the employment of consumer and carer consultants in tertiary medical settings, especially emergency departments.

Serum samples from North Atlantic populations of harp seal, Phoca groenlandica (n = 316), ringed seal, Phoca hispida (n = 48), hooded seal, Cystophora cristata (n = 78), and minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata (n = 202), were tested for Toxoplasma gondii-specific IgG. The modified agglutination test (MAT) was slightly modified to be more user-friendly by replacing the 0.2 M 2-mercaptoethanol with 10 mM dithiothreitol. No positive samples were found at 1:40 dilution.

Patients with chronic kidney disease are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and this often manifests clinically like heart failure. Conversely, patients with heart failure frequently have reduced kidney function. The links between the kidneys and cardiovascular system are being elucidated, with blood pressure being a key risk factor. Patients with heart failure have benefitted from many trials which have now established a strong evidence based on which to base management. However, patients with advanced kidney disease have often been excluded from these trials. Nevertheless, there is little evidence that the benefits of such treatments are modified by the presence or absence of kidney disease, but more direct evidence among patients with advanced kidney disease is required. Neprilysin inhibition is the most recent treatment to be shown to improve outcomes among patients with heart failure. The UK HARP-III trial assessed whether neprilysin inhibition improved kidney function in the short- to medium-term and its effects on cardiovascular biomarkers. Although no effect (compared to irbesartan control) was found on kidney function, allocation to neprilysin inhibition (sacubitril/valsartan) did reduce cardiac biomarkers more than irbesartan, suggesting that this treatment might improve cardiovascular outcomes in this population. Larger clinical outcomes trials are needed to test this hypothesis.

ABSTRACTPsychological, neurological, and social impairments caused by dementia may limit the person's everyday living and experiences, but their capacity to enjoy a meaningful life is still retained. Increasingly, evidence has been shown the importance of reablement approaches to care in maximizing the older person's independence, health, and well-being through increased engagement in their daily, physical, social, and community activities. However, there is a major knowledge gap in providing reablement for people living with dementia. We describe one case of a client with moderate dementia and her daughter carer who participated as a dyad in a person centered, interdisciplinary, and reablement program called I-HARP (Interdisciplinary home-based reablement program). I-HARP is designed to improve functional capacity of those community dwelling, older people living with dementia, and other health conditions. In this paper, we discussed key contributions that such a reablement approach to care can make to optimizing the social health of people living with dementia.

Much attention has been given over the years to animal welfare issues surrounding the seal hunt in Atlantic Canada. However, very little information is available on this subject in the scientific literature. This article reports the results of observations made by representatives of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association at the hunt in recent years and compares them with observations made by members of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The conclusion is that the large majority of seals taken during this hunt (at best, 98% in work reported here) are killed in an acceptably humane manner. However, the small proportion of animals that are not killed effectively justifies continued attention to this hunt on the part of the veterinary profession.

The gastric fluid of six bottlenose dolphins and the faeces of four polar bears from the same oceanarium were examined for the presence of Helicobacter. As detected by PCR, all dolphins and 8/12 samples collected from polar bears were positive for Helicobacter. Novel sequence types were identified in samples collected from these animals of which several were unique to either the dolphins or the polar bears. At least one sequence type was, however, detected in both animal taxa. In addition, a sequence type from a dolphin shared a 98.2-100% identity to sequences from other Helicobacter species from harp seals, sea otters and sea lions. This study reports on the occurrence of novel Helicobacter sequence types in polar bears and dolphins and demonstrates the broad-host range of some species within these animals.

The purpose of this study was to identify individual musical preferences, investigate the relationship between an individual's musical preferences and demographic variables, and examine the effects of the selected music on relaxation. Fifty healthy subjects (mean age 65.7; SD = 5.2) from the community participated in the study. Musical preference interviews and relaxed responses to selected music were administered to the study participants individually in the investigator's office. Participants' heart rates, respiratory rates, and finger temperature were measured before they listened to the introductory tape and again after they listened to the selected music for 20 minutes. The participants were asked to judge how much they liked the 6 types of soothing music and were asked to rate it on a scale. The results indicated that Chinese orchestral music was the preferred choice, followed by harp, piano, synthesizer, orchestral, and finally slow jazz. There were no differences among types of music on relaxation, and no significant differences between musical preference and any demographic variables. The heart rates and respiratory rates of the participants were significantly lower (t = 21.24, P < .001 and t = 20.09, P < .001, respectively). Finger temperature (t = -33.20, P < .001) raised significantly after listening to the selected music. These findings suggest that soothing music selections have beneficial effects on relaxation in community-residing elderly people.

This work presents a new method for motion estimation of tagged cardiac magnetic resonance sequences based on variational techniques. The variational method has been improved by adding a new term in the optical flow equation that incorporates tracking points with high stability of phase. Results were obtained through simulated and real data, and were validated by manual tracking and with respect to a reference state-of-the-art method: harmonic phase imaging (HARP). The error, measured in pixels per frame, obtained with the proposed variational method is one order of magnitude smaller than the one achieved by the reference method, and it requires a lower computational cost.

The enantiomeric ratios of alpha-HCH were determined by chiral gas chromatography in blubber of marine mammals from regions of the northern hemisphere (North Sea, Baltic Sea, Arctic and Iceland). Cetaceans (harbour porpoises and white-beaked dolphins) showed a preferential accumulation of (+)-alpha-HCH. In blubber of harbour seals, grey seals and harp seals (+)-alpha-HCH was also more abundant than (-)-alpha-HCH. Hooded seals formed an exception with a (+/-) enantiomeric ratio of alpha-HCH < 1.