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Environmental Science & Technology Dec 2023Metamorphosis is a critical process in the life cycle of most marine benthic invertebrates, determining their transition from plankton to benthos. It affects dispersal...
Metamorphosis is a critical process in the life cycle of most marine benthic invertebrates, determining their transition from plankton to benthos. It affects dispersal and settlement and therefore decisively influences the dynamics of marine invertebrate populations. An extended period of metamorphic competence is an adaptive feature of numerous invertebrate species that increases the likelihood of finding a habitat suitable for settlement and survival. We found that crude oil and residues of burnt oil rapidly induce metamorphosis in two different marine invertebrate larvae, a previously unknown sublethal effect of oil pollution. When exposed to environmentally realistic oil concentrations, up to 84% of tested echinoderm larvae responded by undergoing metamorphosis. Similarly, up to 87% of gastropod larvae metamorphosed in response to burnt oil residues. This study demonstrates that crude oil and its burned residues can act as metamorphic inducers in marine planktonic larvae, short-circuiting adaptive metamorphic delay. Future studies on molecular pathways and oil-bacteria-metamorphosis interactions are needed to fully understand the direct or indirect mechanisms of oil-induced metamorphosis in marine invertebrates. With 90% of chronic oiling occurring in coastal areas, this previously undescribed impact of crude oil on planktonic larvae may have global implications for marine invertebrate populations and biodiversity.
Topics: Animals; Petroleum; Invertebrates; Metamorphosis, Biological; Ecosystem; Life Cycle Stages; Larva
PubMed: 37963269
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05194 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2023Mediterranean diets (MedDiets) are linked to substantial health benefits. However, there is also growing evidence that the intensification of food production over the... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Mediterranean diets (MedDiets) are linked to substantial health benefits. However, there is also growing evidence that the intensification of food production over the last 60 years has resulted in nutritionally relevant changes in the composition of foods that may augment the health benefits of MedDiets.
OBJECTIVE
To synthesize, summarize, and critically evaluate the currently available evidence for changes in food composition resulting from agricultural intensification practices and their potential impact on the health benefits of MedDiets.
METHODS
We summarized/synthesized information from (i) systematic literature reviews/meta-analyses and more recently published articles on composition differences between conventional and organic foods, (ii) desk studies which compared food composition data from before and after agricultural intensification, (iii) recent retail and farm surveys and/or factorial field experiments that identified specific agronomic practices responsible for nutritionally relevant changes in food composition, and (iv) a recent systematic literature review and a small number of subsequently published observational and dietary intervention studies that investigated the potential health impacts of changes in food composition resulting from agricultural intensification.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
There has been growing evidence that the intensification of food production has resulted in (i) lower concentrations of nutritionally desirable compounds (e.g., phenolics, certain vitamins, mineral micronutrients including Se, Zn, and omega-3 fatty acids, α-tocopherol) and/or (ii) higher concentrations of nutritionally undesirable or toxic compounds (pesticide residues, cadmium, omega-6 fatty acids) in many of the foods (including wholegrain cereals, fruit and vegetables, olive oil, dairy products and meat from small ruminants, and fish) that are thought to contribute to the health benefits associated with MedDiets. The evidence for negative health impacts of consuming foods from intensified conventional production systems has also increased but is still limited and based primarily on evidence from observational studies. Limitations and gaps in the current evidence base are discussed. There is now substantial evidence that the intensification of agricultural food production has resulted in a decline in the nutritional quality of many of the foods that are recognized to contribute to the positive health impacts associated with adhering to traditional MedDiets. Further research is needed to quantify to what extent this decline augments the positive health impacts of adhering to a traditional MedDiet.
PubMed: 37893672
DOI: 10.3390/foods12203779 -
American Journal of Translational... 2024High doses of radiation, while effective at destroying tumor tissues, also result in radiation dermatitis (RD) at irradiated sites, which is one of the most common... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
High doses of radiation, while effective at destroying tumor tissues, also result in radiation dermatitis (RD) at irradiated sites, which is one of the most common complications in cancer radiotherapy. Currently, no standardized protocols for the prevention and treatment of RD have been established in clinical practices, and severe RD can compromise treatment efficacy and reduce patients' quality of life. This systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) aims to compare the effectiveness of various interventions in preventing RD in patients.
METHODS
As of June 2023, four databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, were searched, with a total of 19 interventions obtained for comparative analysis of their effectiveness in preventing RD. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was employed to screen literature, extract data, and appraise the quality of the studies by two researchers. Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) was conducted utilizing StataSE 15 and R 4.2.3.
RESULTS
A total of 33 studies involving 4307 patients were included in this analysis. From the 33 studies, 19 interventions, encompassing Barrier Films and Dressings (BFD), Boron_Gel, Best supportive care, Corticosteroids_cream, Doxepin_cream, Eau Thermale Avèn_gel, Epidermal Growth Factor_cream, Hyaluronan_cream, Medicinal_Plants, Mineral_Oil, Olive oil and calcium hydroxide (OOCH), Photobiomodulation therapy, Recove_cream, Silicone_gel, Silver sulfadiazine (SSD), Timolol_Gel, Trolamine, VitD_Gel, and VitE_Gel, were retrieved and compared. The NMA results indicated that Hyaluronan_cream (SUCRA: 94.9%) was highly effective in preventing Grade 0/1 RD. Meanwhile, OOCH (SUCRA: 95.7%) demonstrated the most prominent effect in preventing ≥ Grade 2 RD.
CONCLUSION
The study reveals that Hyaluronan_cream and OOCH are two promising treatments for the prevention of RD in patients undergoing radiotherapy. Future research might focus on validating the efficacy of these two therapies with large sample sizes and on identifying an optimal intervention strategy.
PubMed: 38883361
DOI: 10.62347/XLGT5405 -
ACS Omega Oct 2023Reagent consumption is an ongoing sustainability challenge for the mineral processing industry. There is a need to recover, regenerate, and reuse as many of the chemical...
Reagent consumption is an ongoing sustainability challenge for the mineral processing industry. There is a need to recover, regenerate, and reuse as many of the chemical inputs as possible. This study investigated the design and synthesis via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of a novel polymer for use as a surfactant in a water-in-oil (w/o) emulsion system for ultrafine minerals recovery. The polymers were designed to hold a thermoresponsive moiety to allow for future recovery. The performance of the novel emulsion was tested for agglomeration of ultrafine talc mineral particles. A traditional emulsion containing sorbitan monooleate as the surfactant was used as a research benchmark to compare against the novel emulsion's stability and performance in minerals recovery. The novel RAFT polymer-based emulsions formed large and stable water droplets surrounded by a halo of smaller water droplets. Over time, the smaller droplets coalesced and a more uniform size distribution of droplets was formed, keeping the emulsion stable. Rheological testing of freshly made and aged emulsions showed both traditional and novel emulsions to have a high viscosity at a low shear rate. RAFT polymer B with a hydrophilic-lipophilic block ratio of 5:10 performed adequately as a surfactant replacement to stabilize w/o emulsions. The mineral recovery using the novel emulsion was on par with the traditional emulsions. The novel RAFT emulsion containing 2.5 wt % polymer B achieved 90% minerals recovery, a similar yield to the traditional emulsions. This study demonstrates that surfactants containing stimuli-responsive moieties can be synthesized via RAFT polymerization and successfully used in mineral processing applications to recover ultrafine particles. Work is ongoing to exploit the stimuli responsiveness to recover the polymer surfactant for reuse.
PubMed: 37929102
DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c05270 -
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) Jul 2023The unavailability of biodegradable preservatives is one of the major setbacks in the construction industry. With this in mind, our study focused on the analysis and...
The unavailability of biodegradable preservatives is one of the major setbacks in the construction industry. With this in mind, our study focused on the analysis and comparison of two hydrophobic liquids, one vegetable oil-based (VOA) and the other mineral oil-based (MOA), and subsequently applying the same on three types of wood. The comparison of the vegetable oil-based (VOA) and mineral oil-based (MOA) revealed that VOA was characterized by an 83.4% susceptibility to aerobic biodegradation, while MOA was considerably more resistant (47.80%). Based on the conducted contact angle measurements, it was observed that the wettability of pine and oak wood decreased after the application of both VOA (for pine-twice; for oak-by 38%) and MOA (for pine-more than two times; for oak-by 49%), while in the case of aspen, the same was increased (after the application of VOA-by 20%; after the application of MOA-by 2%). The observed depth of penetration into the structure of the impregnated wood was lower for the VOA impregnant as compared to the MOA impregnant. This result persisted in all types of wood used in the experiment. Observations of the process of water absorption during soaking revealed that VOA was more beneficial in terms of lowering water absorption into the material, regardless of wood type. The overall results were better for VOA, which lowered the mass of soaked wood by between 19.73 and 66.90%.
PubMed: 37512249
DOI: 10.3390/ma16144975 -
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in... Oct 2023It is well-known that polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) is a powerful and highly versatile technique for the rational synthesis of colloidal dispersions of... (Review)
Review
It is well-known that polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) is a powerful and highly versatile technique for the rational synthesis of colloidal dispersions of diblock copolymer nanoparticles, including spheres, worms or vesicles. PISA can be conducted in water, polar solvents or non-polar media. In principle, the latter formulations offer a wide range of potential commercial applications. However, there has been just one review focused on PISA syntheses in non-polar media and this prior article was published in 2016. The purpose of the current review article is to summarize the various advances that have been reported since then. In particular, PISA syntheses conducted using reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization in various n-alkanes, poly(α-olefins), mineral oil, low-viscosity silicone oils or supercritical CO are discussed in detail. Selected formulations exhibit thermally induced worm-to-sphere or vesicle-to-worm morphological transitions and the rheological properties of various examples of worm gels in non-polar media are summarized. Finally, visible absorption spectroscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) enable in situ monitoring of nanoparticle formation, while small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) can be used to examine micelle fusion/fission and chain exchange mechanisms.
PubMed: 37409380
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202308372 -
Veterinary Sciences Jul 2023The purpose of this quantitative review is to highlight the effects of feeding strategies using some mineral, vitamin, marine oil, and vegetable essential oil... (Review)
Review
The purpose of this quantitative review is to highlight the effects of feeding strategies using some mineral, vitamin, marine oil, and vegetable essential oil supplements and some agri-food by-products to reduce SCCs in the milk of sheep and goats. According to the results, only specific dietary factors at specific doses could reduce SCCs in the milk of dairy sheep and goats. The combination of Se and vitamin E in the diet was more effective in sheep than in goats, while the inclusion of polyphenols, which are also present in food matrices such as agro-industrial by-products, led to better results. Some essential oils can be conveniently used to modulate SCCs, although they can precipitate an off-flavoring problem. This work shows that SCCs are complex and cannot be determined using a single experimental factor, as intramammary inflammation, which is the main source of SC in milk, can manifest in a subclinical form without clinical signs. However, attention to mineral and vitamin supplementation, even in the most difficult cases, such as those of grazing animals, and the use of anti-inflammatory substances directly or through by-products, can improve the nutritional condition of animals and reduce their SCCs, offering undeniable benefits for the milk-processing sector as well.
PubMed: 37505859
DOI: 10.3390/vetsci10070454 -
ACS Omega Jan 2024The fracture distribution and internal control factors after the fracturing of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs determine the reservoir reforming effect to a large... (Review)
Review
The fracture distribution and internal control factors after the fracturing of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs determine the reservoir reforming effect to a large extent. Based on the research of global scholars on the influencing factors of fracture propagation, comprehensive theoretical model, and numerical simulation, this Review systematically discusses the influence of internal geological factors and external engineering factors of unconventional oil and gas reservoir on fracture propagation behavior and summarizes the current problems and development trends in fracture research. The results show the following: (1) The fracture propagation is a comprehensive process constrained by lithology and mineral composition, water saturation, nonhomogeneity, natural weak surface, and ground stress. (2) External engineering factors have a meaningful control effect on fracture propagation; the type and temperature of fracturing fluids can also change the mechanical properties of different rocks, thus affecting the fracture propagation pattern. (3) The existing fracture propagation models have certain limitations, and their computational reliability still needs to be further verified. (4) Numerical simulation can break through the limitations of physical simulation, but different simulation methods have different shortcomings and applicability. In the future, we should focus on: (1) finding parameters to quantitatively characterize heterogeneity at the 3D level, which is an important direction to study the effect of heterogeneity on fracture propagation; (2) introducing computerized methods to establish a geological model that considers multiple factors and combining it with numerical simulation software to study fracture propagation; (3) considering the characteristics of fluid-liquid-solid phase comprehensively, establishing a suitable THL coupling equation; (4) how the interaction mode of fracturing fracture is combined with the natural fracture geometry, and how the fracture is affected by fracturing engineering parameters such as fluid injection rate and viscosity of fracturing fluid; and (5) geology-engineering dynamic integration, which is an important direction to be carried out in the future.
PubMed: 38222556
DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c08547 -
Scientific Reports Dec 2023Rock mechanical property is significant for shale gas development and exploitation. Shale compressive strength, tensile strength, elastic deformation and so on, are...
Rock mechanical property is significant for shale gas development and exploitation. Shale compressive strength, tensile strength, elastic deformation and so on, are necessary parameters for drilling, completion and fracturing work in shale formation. Among all these shale mechanical parameters, brittleness is a tricky and significant rock property, which has been widely used to hydraulic fracturing design. Currently, although so many works have been conducted to investigate shale brittleness, there is no precise definition of brittleness. In particular, there is no consensus on which method is the most reliable for shale brittleness evaluation. It is vital to figure out how to evaluate shale brittleness in a reliable method. Thus, this paper presents an experimental study on shale mechanical properties, analyzing mechanical features in stress strain curve, relation between mineral content and strength, mechanical parameters at varying confined stress. Based on shale mechanical characteristics and its brittle exhibition, stress strain curve from triaxial compression test is divided into 3 stages, namely, elastic stage, plastic stage and post peak stage. In combined with brittle characteristics in 3 stages of axial and radial stress-strain curves, a new brittleness index has been established for assessing shale brittleness. In order to prove the applicability of new brittleness index, its result is compared with shale failure sample after triaxial test and existing brittleness indexes based on mineral content, elastic deformation, energy, stress and strain, showing a good consistency and proving its practicability. Based on this brittleness index, influence factors of shale brittleness have been discussed. It is shown that elastic module is the most important factor of shale brittleness. Bedding plane makes shale brittleness have strong anisotropy. Brittleness is not only relied on its structure and mineral (like bedding plane, silicate and clay mineral content), but is also highly affected by external stress. Large confined pressure is able to impair shale brittleness. Outcome in this study can offer theoretical guidance for shale exploitation.
PubMed: 38129638
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49934-0 -
Frontiers in Chemistry 2023Since the ban on single-use plastic articles in Europe, the food contact material (FCM) industry has been forced to move to more sustainable alternatives. Paper and...
Since the ban on single-use plastic articles in Europe, the food contact material (FCM) industry has been forced to move to more sustainable alternatives. Paper and board FCM are convenient alternatives but must be safe for consumers. This study aims to investigate potential migrations of various substances (e.g., plasticizers, photoinitiators, primary aromatic amines, mineral oil, and bisphenols) from straws and takeaway articles made of paper and board. Twenty straws and fifty-eight takeaway articles were carefully selected and investigated using liquid and gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry or flame ionization detector. Fourteen substances of all the targeted categories were found in takeaway articles, including seven plasticizers, two photoinitiators, one primary aromatic amine, two bisphenols, and the saturated and aromatic fraction of mineral oil (MOSH and MOAH, respectively). In straws, fewer substances were detected, i.e., six substances, including three plasticizers, one photoinitiator, MOSH, and MOAH. At least one of the target substances was detected in 88% of the samples, demonstrating the importance of further evaluation of these materials. Finally, the associated risks were assessed, highlighting the potential risks for several types of articles regarding bisphenol A, one primary aromatic amine (3.3-DMB), and MOSH and MOAH.
PubMed: 38099191
DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1322811