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International Journal of Environmental... Feb 2019Obesity is a major public health issue, affecting both developed and developing societies. Obesity increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and type... (Review)
Review
Obesity is a major public health issue, affecting both developed and developing societies. Obesity increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and type II diabetes. While individual behaviours are important risk factors, impacts on obesity and overweight of the urban physical and social environment have figured large in the recent epidemiological literature, though evidence is incomplete and from a limited range of countries. Prominent among identified environmental influences are urban layout and sprawl, healthy food access, exercise access, and the neighbourhood social environment. This paper reviews the literature and highlights the special issue contributions within that literature.
Topics: Cities; Environment Design; Health Behavior; Healthy Lifestyle; Humans; Obesity; Residence Characteristics; Risk Factors; Social Environment; Urban Health
PubMed: 30764541
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16030464 -
FEBS Open Bio Apr 2021The amount of plastic waste and microplastics released into marine environments has increased rapidly in recent decades. The durability of plastic materials results in... (Review)
Review
The amount of plastic waste and microplastics released into marine environments has increased rapidly in recent decades. The durability of plastic materials results in major problems following their release into the environment. This study provides an overview of recent findings on issues related to plastic degradation, the accumulation of microplastics in mussels and fishes, and the toxicological effects associated with the ingestion of microplastics. These findings confirm the serious problem of slowly degrading plastics (which rarely degrade fully) in natural marine environments. Microplastics have become widespread pollutants and have been detected in mussels and fish around the world. Microplastic particles, whether virgin or with adsorbed pollutants on their surfaces, pose a health problem after being ingested by marine organisms. This paper ends by highlighting the need for certain improvements in studies of these phenomena.
Topics: Aquatic Organisms; Biodegradation, Environmental; Ecology; Environmental Pollutants; Environmental Pollution; Microplastics; Plastics; Waste Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 33595903
DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13120 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jul 2019Microbial biofilms are communities of aggregated microbial cells embedded in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Biofilms are... (Review)
Review
Microbial biofilms are communities of aggregated microbial cells embedded in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Biofilms are recalcitrant to extreme environments, and can protect microorganisms from ultraviolet (UV) radiation, extreme temperature, extreme pH, high salinity, high pressure, poor nutrients, antibiotics, etc., by acting as "protective clothing". In recent years, research works on biofilms have been mainly focused on biofilm-associated infections and strategies for combating microbial biofilms. In this review, we focus instead on the contemporary perspectives of biofilm formation in extreme environments, and describe the fundamental roles of biofilm in protecting microbial exposure to extreme environmental stresses and the regulatory factors involved in biofilm formation. Understanding the mechanisms of biofilm formation in extreme environments is essential for the employment of beneficial microorganisms and prevention of harmful microorganisms.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Biofilms; Extreme Environments; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Microbiological Phenomena; Salinity; Temperature; Ultraviolet Rays
PubMed: 31336824
DOI: 10.3390/ijms20143423 -
Current Environmental Health Reports Jun 2021Biodiversity underpins urban ecosystem functions that are essential for human health and well-being. Understanding how biodiversity relates to human health is a... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Biodiversity underpins urban ecosystem functions that are essential for human health and well-being. Understanding how biodiversity relates to human health is a developing frontier for science, policy and practice. This article describes the beneficial, as well as harmful, aspects of biodiversity to human health in urban environments.
RECENT FINDINGS
Recent research shows that contact with biodiversity of natural environments within towns and cities can be both positive and negative to human physical, mental and social health and well-being. For example, while viruses or pollen can be seriously harmful to human health, biodiverse ecosystems can promote positive health and well-being. On balance, these influences are positive. As biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, research suggests that its loss could threaten the quality of life of all humans. A key research gap is to understand-and evidence-the specific causal pathways through which biodiversity affects human health. A mechanistic understanding of pathways linking biodiversity to human health can facilitate the application of nature-based solutions in public health and influence policy. Research integration as well as cross-sector urban policy and planning development should harness opportunities to better identify linkages between biodiversity, climate and human health. Given its importance for human health, urban biodiversity conservation should be considered as public health investment.
Topics: Biodiversity; Cities; Ecosystem; Humans; Public Health; Quality of Life
PubMed: 33982150
DOI: 10.1007/s40572-021-00313-9 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Oct 2019Plastics are widely used in the global economy, and each year, at least 350 to 400 million tons are being produced. Due to poor recycling and low circular use, millions... (Review)
Review
Plastics are widely used in the global economy, and each year, at least 350 to 400 million tons are being produced. Due to poor recycling and low circular use, millions of tons accumulate annually in terrestrial or marine environments. Today it has become clear that plastic causes adverse effects in all ecosystems and that microplastics are of particular concern to our health. Therefore, recent microbial research has addressed the question of if and to what extent microorganisms can degrade plastics in the environment. This review summarizes current knowledge on microbial plastic degradation. Enzymes available act mainly on the high-molecular-weight polymers of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and ester-based polyurethane (PUR). Unfortunately, the best PUR- and PET-active enzymes and microorganisms known still have moderate turnover rates. While many reports describing microbial communities degrading chemical additives have been published, no enzymes acting on the high-molecular-weight polymers polystyrene, polyamide, polyvinylchloride, polypropylene, ether-based polyurethane, and polyethylene are known. Together, these polymers comprise more than 80% of annual plastic production. Thus, further research is needed to significantly increase the diversity of enzymes and microorganisms acting on these polymers. This can be achieved by tapping into the global metagenomes of noncultivated microorganisms and dark matter proteins. Only then can novel biocatalysts and organisms be delivered that allow rapid degradation, recycling, or value-added use of the vast majority of most human-made polymers.
Topics: Biodegradation, Environmental; Biotechnology; Ecosystem; Environmental Monitoring; Enzymes; Metagenome; Microbiota; Plastics; Recycling
PubMed: 31324632
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01095-19 -
Current Biology : CB Mar 2019Fungi play a dominant role in terrestrial environments where they thrive in symbiotic associations with plants and animals and are integral to nutrient cycling in...
Fungi play a dominant role in terrestrial environments where they thrive in symbiotic associations with plants and animals and are integral to nutrient cycling in diverse ecosystems. Everywhere that moisture and a carbon source coexist in the terrestrial biosphere, fungi are expected to occur. We know that fungi can be devastating to agricultural crops, both in the field and during their storage, and cause mortality in immunocompromised patients in numbers that rival the deaths from malaria. Yet fungi can also be harnessed as sources of food, chemicals and biofuels when humans exploit fungal metabolism. Despite their central role in the health and disease of the terrestrial biosphere, much less is known about the function and potential of marine fungi. Are fungi ubiquitous in marine environments as they are on land? Do they play the same or similar roles in these ecosystems? Here we describe the state of knowledge about the abundance and functions of fungi in the marine environment with a goal to stimulate new inquiry in this very open area.
Topics: Aquatic Organisms; Biodiversity; Ecosystem; Fungi; Life History Traits; Oceans and Seas
PubMed: 30889385
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.02.009 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Dec 2020Variability in the environment defines the structure and dynamics of all living systems, from organisms to ecosystems. Species have evolved traits and strategies that... (Review)
Review
Variability in the environment defines the structure and dynamics of all living systems, from organisms to ecosystems. Species have evolved traits and strategies that allow them to detect, exploit and predict the changing environment. These traits allow organisms to maintain steady internal conditions required for physiological functioning through feedback mechanisms that allow internal conditions to remain at or near a set-point despite a fluctuating environment. In addition to feedback, many organisms have evolved feedforward processes, which allow them to adjust in anticipation of an expected future state of the environment. Here we provide a framework describing how feedback and feedforward mechanisms operating within organisms can generate effects across scales of organization, and how they allow living systems to persist in fluctuating environments. Daily, seasonal and multi-year cycles provide cues that organisms use to anticipate changes in physiologically relevant environmental conditions. Using feedforward mechanisms, organisms can exploit correlations in environmental variables to prepare for anticipated future changes. Strategies to obtain, store and act on information about the conditional nature of future events are advantageous and are evidenced in widespread phenotypes such as circadian clocks, social behaviour, diapause and migrations. Humans are altering the ways in which the environment fluctuates, causing correlations between environmental variables to become decoupled, decreasing the reliability of cues. Human-induced environmental change is also altering sensory environments and the ability of organisms to detect cues. Recognizing that living systems combine feedback and feedforward processes is essential to understanding their responses to current and future regimes of environmental fluctuations. This article is part of the theme issue 'Integrative research perspectives on marine conservation'.
Topics: Adaptation, Biological; Animals; Climate Change; Ecosystem; Environment; Plants
PubMed: 33131443
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0454 -
Environmental Health Perspectives Jul 2021Since the dawn of cities, the built environment has both affected infectious disease transmission and evolved in response to infectious diseases. COVID-19 illustrates...
BACKGROUND
Since the dawn of cities, the built environment has both affected infectious disease transmission and evolved in response to infectious diseases. COVID-19 illustrates both dynamics. The pandemic presented an opportunity to implement health promotion and disease prevention strategies in numerous elements of the built environment.
OBJECTIVES
This commentary aims to identify features of the built environment that affect the risk of COVID-19 as well as to identify elements of the pandemic response with implications for the built environment (and, therefore, for long-term public health).
DISCUSSION
Built environment risk factors for COVID-19 transmission include crowding, poverty, and racism (as they manifest in housing and neighborhood features), poor indoor air circulation, and ambient air pollution. Potential long-term implications of COVID-19 for the built environment include changes in building design, increased teleworking, reconfigured streets, changing modes of travel, provision of parks and greenspace, and population shifts out of urban centers. Although it is too early to predict with confidence which of these responses may persist, identifying and monitoring them can help health professionals, architects, urban planners, and decision makers, as well as members of the public, optimize healthy built environments during and after recovery from the pandemic. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP8888.
Topics: Built Environment; COVID-19; Cities; Environment Design; Humans; Pandemics; Public Health; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 34288733
DOI: 10.1289/EHP8888 -
Environment International Jan 2022Antimony (Sb) is introduced into soils, sediments, and aquatic environments from various sources such as weathering of sulfide ores, leaching of mining wastes, and... (Review)
Review
Antimony (Sb) is introduced into soils, sediments, and aquatic environments from various sources such as weathering of sulfide ores, leaching of mining wastes, and anthropogenic activities. High Sb concentrations are toxic to ecosystems and potentially to public health via the accumulation in food chain. Although Sb is poisonous and carcinogenic to humans, the exact mechanisms causing toxicity still remain unclear. Most studies concerning the remediation of soils and aquatic environments contaminated with Sb have evaluated various amendments that reduce Sb bioavailability and toxicity. However, there is no comprehensive review on the biogeochemistry and transformation of Sb related to its remediation. Therefore, the present review summarizes: (1) the sources of Sb and its geochemical distribution and speciation in soils and aquatic environments, (2) the biogeochemical processes that govern Sb mobilization, bioavailability, toxicity in soils and aquatic environments, and possible threats to human and ecosystem health, and (3) the approaches used to remediate Sb-contaminated soils and water and mitigate potential environmental and health risks. Knowledge gaps and future research needs also are discussed. The review presents up-to-date knowledge about the fate of Sb in soils and aquatic environments and contributes to an important insight into the environmental hazards of Sb. The findings from the review should help to develop innovative and appropriate technologies for controlling Sb bioavailability and toxicity and sustainably managing Sb-polluted soils and water, subsequently minimizing its environmental and human health risks.
Topics: Anthropogenic Effects; Antimony; Ecosystem; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Risk Management; Soil; Soil Pollutants
PubMed: 34619530
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106908 -
International Journal of Environmental... May 2022Health is created within the urban settings of people's everyday lives. In this paper we define Urban Public Health and compile existing evidence regarding the spatial... (Review)
Review
Health is created within the urban settings of people's everyday lives. In this paper we define Urban Public Health and compile existing evidence regarding the spatial component of health and disease in urban environments. Although there is already a substantial body of single evidence on the links between urban environments and human health, focus is mostly on individual health behaviors. We look at Urban Public Health through a structural lens that addresses health conditions beyond individual health behaviors and identify not only health risks but also health resources associated with urban structures. Based on existing conceptual frameworks, we structured evidence in the following categories: (i) build and natural environment, (ii) social environment, (iii) governance and urban development. We focused our search to review articles and reviews of reviews for each of the keywords via database PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar in order to cover the range of issues in urban environments. Our results show that linking findings from different disciplines and developing spatial thinking can overcome existing single evidence and make other correlations visible. Further research should use interdisciplinary approaches and focus on health resources and the transformation of urban structures rather than merely on health risks and behavior.
Topics: Environment; Humans; Public Health; Social Environment; Urban Health; Urban Renewal
PubMed: 35564947
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095553