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BMJ Open Jul 2023Charcoal production and utilisation are linked to various health issues and occupational hazards. However, to our knowledge, no systematic review has primarily focused...
UNLABELLED
Charcoal production and utilisation are linked to various health issues and occupational hazards. However, to our knowledge, no systematic review has primarily focused on the health implications of charcoal production and its use while distinguishing charcoal from other solid fuels such as wood and coal.
OBJECTIVES
This systematic review presents a synthesis of the evidence on the health risks associated with producing and using charcoal across the world.
DESIGN
Systematic review using a systematic narrative synthesis approach.
DATA SOURCES
MEDLINE (through Ovid interface), CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library and SCOPUS, from inception to 26 February 2021.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES
Peer-reviewed journal articles reporting empirical findings on the associations between charcoal usage/production and health parameters.
DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the quality of primary studies.
RESULTS
Our findings showed that charcoal production and usage are linked with specific adverse health outcomes, including respiratory diseases (n=21), cardiorespiratory and neurological diseases (n=1), cancer (n=3), DNA damage (n=3), carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning (n=2), physical injury (n=2), sick house syndrome (n=1), unintentional weight loss and body mass index (BMI) reduction (n=2), increase in blood pressure (n=1) and CO death (n=1). Among the included articles that reported respiratory diseases (n=21), there was one case of asthma and tuberculosis and two cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
CONCLUSIONS
This review links charcoal production/usage and some associated human health risks. These include respiratory diseases and other non-respiratory illnesses such as sick-building syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, DNA damage, CO poisoning and death, unintentional weight loss and BMI reduction, and physical injuries.
Topics: Humans; Charcoal; Asthma; Blood Pressure; Carbon Monoxide; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
PubMed: 37487686
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065914 -
ELife Oct 2023Selfish genetic elements can promote their transmission at the expense of individual survival, creating conflict between the element and the rest of the genome....
Selfish genetic elements can promote their transmission at the expense of individual survival, creating conflict between the element and the rest of the genome. Recently, a large number of toxin-antidote (TA) post-segregation distorters have been identified in non-obligate outcrossing nematodes. Their origin and the evolutionary forces that keep them at intermediate population frequencies are poorly understood. Here, we study a TA element in called . Two major haplotypes of this locus, with and without the selfish element, segregate in . We evaluate the fitness consequences of the element outside of its role in gene drive in non-outcrossing animals and demonstrate that loss of the toxin decreased fitness of hermaphrodites and resulted in reductions in fecundity and body size. These findings suggest a biological role for beyond toxin lethality. This work demonstrates that a TA element can provide a fitness benefit to its hosts either during their initial evolution or by being co-opted by the animals following their selfish spread. These findings guide our understanding on how TA elements can remain in a population where gene drive is minimized, helping resolve the mystery of prevalent TA elements in selfing animals.
Topics: Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Antidotes; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; Fertility; Gene Frequency; Toxins, Biological; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
PubMed: 37874324
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.81640 -
International Journal of Molecular... Oct 2023Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating tumor type where a very high proportion of people diagnosed end up dying from cancer. Surgical resection is an... (Review)
Review
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating tumor type where a very high proportion of people diagnosed end up dying from cancer. Surgical resection is an option for only about 20% of patients, where the 5-year survival increase ranges from 10 to 25%. In addition to surgical resection, there are adjuvant chemotherapy schemes, such as FOLFIRINOX (a mix of Irinotecan, oxaliplatin, 5-Fluorouraci and leucovorin) or gemcitabine-based treatment. These last two drugs have been compared in the NAPOLI-3 clinical trial, and the NALIRIFOX arm was found to have a higher overall survival (OS) (11.1 months vs. 9.2 months). Despite these exciting improvements, PDAC still has no effective treatment. An interesting approach would be to drive ferroptosis in PDAC cells. A non-apoptotic reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent cell death, ferroptosis was first described by Dixon et al. in 2012. ROS are constantly produced in the tumor cell due to high cell metabolism, which is even higher when exposed to chemotherapy. Tumor cells have detoxifying mechanisms, such as Mn-SOD or the GSH-GPX system. However, when a threshold of ROS is exceeded in the tumor cell, the cell's antioxidant systems are overwhelmed, resulting in lipid peroxidation and, ultimately, ferroptosis. In this review, we point out ferroptosis as an approach to consider in PDAC and propose that altering the cellular ROS balance by combining oxidizing agents or with inhibitors of the main cellular detoxifiers triggers ferroptosis in PDAC.
Topics: Humans; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Reactive Oxygen Species; Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal; Fluorouracil; Leucovorin; Cell Death
PubMed: 37834426
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914979 -
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Oct 2023To mitigate global warming and the greenhouse effect, biochar (BC) has been regarded as an important way of carbon sink. Therefore, this research explored the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
To mitigate global warming and the greenhouse effect, biochar (BC) has been regarded as an important way of carbon sink. Therefore, this research explored the development trend of BC for soil carbon sequestration and mitigation from 2001 to 2020 based on bibliometric analysis. The results show that Yong Sik Ok and Johannes Lehmann are the top 2 high-impact authors. China, America, and Germany are the most widely collaborated countries, but China's research impact is lower than that of America. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has far more publications than any other institution, but Cornell University and Kangwon National University lead the way in terms of impact. Research hotspots can be divided into five clusters: (1) pyrolysis, nutrient, and microbial communities; (2) the immobilization of heavy metals; (3) crop yield and soil properties; (4) greenhouse gas, meta-analysis, and field experiment; (5) carbon fraction and sequestration. Reviews account for 60 % of the top 10 most highly cited papers, and eight of the top 10 focus on the early research period, setting the stage for the development of the BC field. Science of the Total Environment has the highest number of publications and total citations, and literature published in Soil Biology and Biochemistry is to some extent more likely to be cited. In the future, we need to carry out research in the following aspects: (1) Interaction mechanisms between BC, soil, and soil microbial communities. (2) Designing low-cost, high-yield, and high-effect optimization methods to improve the characteristics of BC. (3) Effect of BC on the environment and human health in long-term localization experiments. (4) Carbon sinks of BC need to be further evaluated on a global scale.
Topics: Humans; Soil; Carbon Sequestration; Agriculture; Charcoal; Carbon; Bibliometrics
PubMed: 37683427
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115438 -
Heliyon Nov 2023Aluminum phosphide (AlP), known as "rice tablet," is widely used as an effective pesticide. However, AlP poisoning is a common cause of mortality in many countries, such...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Aluminum phosphide (AlP), known as "rice tablet," is widely used as an effective pesticide. However, AlP poisoning is a common cause of mortality in many countries, such as Iran. Unfortunately, there is no specific antidote for AlP toxicity to date. AlP releases phosphine gas when it is exposed to moisture or acid. Phosphine is a potent mitochondrial toxin that could significantly inhibit cellular energy metabolism. AlP poisoning is an emergency condition that needs instant and effective intervention. Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) is a simple saccharide used for several pharmacological as well as cosmetic purposes. Previously, we found that DHA could significantly prevent mitochondrial impairment induced by toxic agents such as cyanide and phosphine in various and experimental models.
METHODS
Hospitalized patients (n = 111) were evaluated for eligibility criteria. Among these patients, n = 35 cases were excluded due to incomplete data (n = 11) and suspicion of poisoning with poisons other than AlP (n = 24). Meanwhile, n = 76 cases with confirmed AlP poisoning were included in the study. AlP-poisoned patients who did not receive DHA (n = 18) were used as the control group.Patients (n = 58) received at least one dose of DHA (500 ml of 5 % DHA solution w/v, i.v.) as an adjuvant therapy in addition to the routine treatment of AlP poisoning. Arterial blood gas (ABG), blood pH, bicarbonate levels, and other vital signs and biochemical measurements were monitored. Moreover, the mortality rate and hospitalization time were evaluated in DHA-treated and AlP-poisoned patients without DHA administration. Several biomarkers were assessed before (upon hospitalization) and after DHA treatment. The routine tests for AlP-poisoned patients in this study were the measurement of electrolytes (K and Na), WBC, RBC, hemoglobin, INR, carbonate (HCO), blood pH, PaCO, and PaO and SGPT, SGOT, BUN, Cr.
RESULTS
Upon patients' admission, significant decreases in blood pH (acidosis), blood PaO, and HCO levels were the hallmarks of AlP poisoning. It was found that DHA significantly alleviated biomarkers of AlP poisoning and tremendously enhanced patients' survival rate (65.52 % in DHA-treated 33.34 % in the control group) compared to patients treated based on hospital routine AlP poisoning protocols (no DHA). No significant adverse effects were evident in DHA-treated patients in the current study.
INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that parenteral DHA is a novel and effective antidote against AlP poisoning to be used as an adjuvant in addition to routine supportive treatment.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
IR.SUMS.REC.1394.102.
PubMed: 38053886
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22165 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2023Vetiver root is widely used to produce essential oils in the aromatherapy industry. After the extraction of oil, the roots are disposed of as waste. The central...
Vetiver root is widely used to produce essential oils in the aromatherapy industry. After the extraction of oil, the roots are disposed of as waste. The central objective of this research was to explore the conversion of this waste into a resource using a circular economy framework. To generate biochar, vetiver roots were pyrolyzed at different temperatures (300, 500, and 700 °C) and residence times (30, 60, and 120 min). Analysis showed the root biochar generated at 500 °C and held for 60 min had the highest surface area of 308.15 m/g and a yield of 53.76%, in addition to other favorable characteristics. Comparatively, the surface area and the yield of shoot biochar were significantly lower compared to those of the roots. Repurposing the spent root biomass for environmental and agronomic benefits, our circular economy concept prevents the plant tissue from entering landfills or the waste stream.
Topics: Agriculture; Aromatherapy; Biomass; Industry; Charcoal
PubMed: 38202646
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29010063 -
PLoS Biology Feb 2024Animal studies reveal that the molecular wiring of the brain can be altered by heredity, the environment, and their interaction. A deeper molecular understanding of...
Animal studies reveal that the molecular wiring of the brain can be altered by heredity, the environment, and their interaction. A deeper molecular understanding of these interactions could be a potent antidote to societal concerns of genetic determinism for human behavior, but this requires a paradigm that extends beyond traditional genome-wide association study (GWAS).
Topics: Animals; Humans; Genome-Wide Association Study; Genetic Determinism; Genomics; Brain; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
PubMed: 38412239
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002510 -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Aug 2023In this study, conventional and Graphene Oxide-engineered biochars were produced and thoroughly characterized, in order to investigate their potential as adsorptive...
In this study, conventional and Graphene Oxide-engineered biochars were produced and thoroughly characterized, in order to investigate their potential as adsorptive materials. Two types of biomass, Rice Husks (RH) and Sewage Sludge (SS), two Graphene Oxide (GO) doses, 0.1% and 1%, and two pyrolysis temperatures, 400 °C and 600 °C were investigated. The produced biochars were characterized in physicochemical terms and the effect of biomass, GO functionalization and pyrolysis temperature on biochar properties was studied. The produced samples were then applied as adsorbents for the removal of six organic micro-pollutants from water and treated secondary wastewater. Results showed that the main factors affecting biochar structure was biomass type and pyrolysis temperature, while GO functionalization caused significant changes on biochar surface by increasing the available C- and O- based functional groups. Biochars produced at 600 °C showed higher C content and Specific Surface Area, presenting more stable graphitic structure, compared to biochars produced at 400 °C. Micro-pollutant adsorption rates were in the range of 39.9%-98.3% and 9.4%-97.5% in table water and 28.3%-97.5% and 0.0%-97.5% in treated municipal wastewater, for the Rice Husk and Sewage Sludge biochars respectively. The best biochars, in terms of structural properties and adsorption efficiency were the GO-functionalized biochars, produced from Rice Husks at 600 °C, while the most difficult pollutant to remove was 2.4-Dichlorophenol.
Topics: Sewage; Environmental Pollutants; Adsorption; Wastewater; Charcoal; Water
PubMed: 37430083
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-28549-y -
International Journal of Surgery... Apr 2024The addition of immune checkpoint inhibitors to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in operable advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) cancer aroused wide interest....
Efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant sintilimab in combination with FLOT chemotherapy in patients with HER2-negative locally advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: an investigator-initiated, single-arm, open-label, phase II study.
BACKGROUND
The addition of immune checkpoint inhibitors to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in operable advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) cancer aroused wide interest. This study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant sintilimab, a programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitor, in combination with fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel (FLOT) chemotherapy for HER2-negative locally advanced G/GEJ cancer.
METHODS
Eligible patients with clinical stage cT4 and/or cN+M0 G/GEJ cancer were enroled in this phase II study. Patients received neoadjuvant sintilimab (200 mg every 3 weeks) for three cycles plus FLOT (50 mg/m 2 docetaxel, 80 mg/m 2 oxaliplatin, 200 mg/m 2 calcium levofolinate, 2600 mg/m 2 5-fluorouracil every 2 weeks) for four cycles before surgery, followed by four cycles of adjuvant FLOT with same dosages after resection. The primary endpoint was the pathological complete response (pCR) rate.
RESULTS
Thirty-two patients were enroled between August 2019 and September 2021, with a median follow-up of 34.8 (95% CI, 32.8-42.9) months. Thirty-two (100%) patients received neoadjuvant therapy, and 29 underwent surgery with an R0 resection rate of 93.1%. The pCR (TRG0) was achieved in 5 (17.2%; 95% CI, 5.8-35.8%) patients, and the major pathological response was 55.2%. Twenty-three (79.3%) patients had T downstaging, 21 (72.4%) had N downstaging, and 19 (65.5%) had overall TNM downstaging. Six (20.7%) patients experienced recurrence. Patients achieving pCR showed better event-free survival (EFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) than non-pCR. The estimated 3-year EFS rate, 3-year DFS rate, and 3-year OS rate were 71.4% (95% CI, 57.2-89.2%), 78.8% (95% CI, 65.1-95.5%), and 70.9% (95% CI, 54.8-91.6%), respectively. The objective response rate and disease control rate were 84.4% (95% CI, 68.3-93.1%) and 96.9% (95% CI, 84.3-99.5%), respectively. Twenty-five (86.2%) received adjuvant therapy. The main grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were lymphopenia (34.4%), neutropenia (28.1%), and leukopenia (15.6%). no patients died from TRAE. The LDH level exhibited a better predictive value to pathological responses than PD-L1 and MSI status.
CONCLUSIONS
The study demonstrated an encouraging efficacy and manageable safety profile of neoadjuvant sintilimab plus FLOT in HER2-negative locally advanced G/GEJ cancer, which suggested a potential therapeutic option for this population.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Stomach Neoplasms; Esophagogastric Junction; Neoadjuvant Therapy; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Aged; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Adenocarcinoma; Adult; Leucovorin; Fluorouracil; Docetaxel; Esophageal Neoplasms; Oxaliplatin; Receptor, ErbB-2
PubMed: 38320099
DOI: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000001119 -
Nature Communications Nov 2023Breakdown of reproductive isolation facilitates flow of useful trait genes into crop plants from their wild relatives. Hybrid sterility, a major form of reproductive...
Breakdown of reproductive isolation facilitates flow of useful trait genes into crop plants from their wild relatives. Hybrid sterility, a major form of reproductive isolation exists between cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) and wild rice (O. meridionalis, Mer). Here, we report the cloning of qHMS1, a quantitative trait locus controlling hybrid male sterility between these two species. Like qHMS7, another locus we cloned previously, qHMS1 encodes a toxin-antidote system, but differs in the encoded proteins, their evolutionary origin, and action time point during pollen development. In plants heterozygous at qHMS1, ~ 50% of pollens carrying qHMS1-D (an allele from cultivated rice) are selectively killed. In plants heterozygous at both qHMS1 and qHMS7, ~ 75% pollens without co-presence of qHMS1-Mer and qHMS7-D are selectively killed, indicating that the antidotes function in a toxin-dependent manner. Our results indicate that different toxin-antidote systems provide stacked reproductive isolation for maintaining species identity and shed light on breakdown of hybrid male sterility.
Topics: Male; Humans; Hybridization, Genetic; Crosses, Genetic; Oryza; Antidotes; Chromosome Mapping; Reproductive Isolation; Infertility, Male; Plant Infertility
PubMed: 37980335
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43015-6