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Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jul 2024Plastic waste is found with increasing frequency in the environment, in low- and middle-income countries. Plastic pollution has increased concurrently with both economic...
Plastic waste is found with increasing frequency in the environment, in low- and middle-income countries. Plastic pollution has increased concurrently with both economic development and rapid urbanisation, amplifying the effects of inadequate waste management. Distinct microbial communities can quickly colonise plastic surfaces in what is collectively known as the 'plastisphere'. The plastisphere can act as a reservoir for human pathogenic bacteria, including Salmonella enterica sp. (such as S. Typhimurium), which can persist for long periods, retain pathogenicity, and pose an increased public health risk. Through employing a novel mesocosm setup, we have shown here that the plastisphere provides enhanced protection against environmental pressures such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation and allows S. Typhimurium to persist at concentrations (>1x10 CFU/ml) capable of causing human infection, for up to 28 days. Additionally, using a Galleria Mellonella model of infection, S. Typhimurium exhibits greater pathogenicity following recovery from the UV-exposed plastisphere, suggesting that the plastisphere may select for more virulent variants. This study demonstrates the protection afforded by the plastisphere and provides further evidence of environmental plastic waste acting as a reservoir for dangerous clinical pathogens. Quantifying the role of plastic pollution in facilitating the survival, persistence, and dissemination of human pathogens is critical for a more holistic understanding of the potential public health risks associated with plastic waste.
PubMed: 38964649
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124464 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jul 2024To investigate the impact of different HO concentrations on the Fenton-like systems of HO/biochar, this study examined the mechanism of the physical structure and...
Coupled Effects of Fenton-Like Systems with Different Concentrations of HO/Biochar on Diethyl Phthalate Removal: The Dominant Role of Environmental Persistent Free Radicals.
To investigate the impact of different HO concentrations on the Fenton-like systems of HO/biochar, this study examined the mechanism of the physical structure and environmental persistent free radicals (EPFRs) of biochar during diethyl phthalate (DEP) removal by the Fenton-like system. The peak-splitting method was utilized to differentiate EPFRs types in cotton stalk biochar produced at different temperatures. High-temperature environments promote π-electron delocalization, which facilitates phenyl π free radicals and σ-π oxygen-containing free radicals. By analyzing relationships between the removal rate K and removal constant K of DEP with the structural properties of biochar, it was discovered that EPFRs concentrations in biochar had a significant positive correlation with K (r = 0.92) and K (r = 0.97). Different HO concentrations added to the biochar removal system resulted in varied DEP removal efficiency. Among them, CS, CS, and CS exhibited superior DEP removal efficiency when HO concentration was 5 mM.
PubMed: 38964648
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124499 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jul 2024Epidemiological studies on associations between breast cancer (BC) and organochlorine pesticides (OCP) are inconclusive. The majority of studies have evaluated the...
Epidemiological studies on associations between breast cancer (BC) and organochlorine pesticides (OCP) are inconclusive. The majority of studies have evaluated the effect of single compounds without considering multiple OCP exposures and immunophenotypes of BC. We aimed to evaluate the association between BC immunophenotypes and serum OCP mixtures, and identify the main contributors within mixtures. We included 767 histopathologically confirmed incident BC cases and 908 controls from a population-based case-control study conducted from 2007 to 2011 in Northern Mexico. We obtained direct information about sociodemographic, lifestyle and reproductive characteristics. We collected data from clinical records about hormonal receptors (HR) and epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expressions. Immunophenotypes were determined as HR+/HER2-, HER2+ or HR-/HER2-. We quantified OCP and metabolites by gas chromatography using an electron capture micro detector. We used Weighted Quantile Sum regression to assess the association of BC and exposure to multiple OCP, and their contribution within the mixture. We found a positive adjusted association between BC and an OCP mixture (OR: 3.48, 95%CI: 2.58, 4.69), whose primary contribution arose from the isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane and endosulfan, as well as endosulfan sulfate. We also identified a mixture negatively associated (OR: 0.13, 95%CI: 0.08, 0.20), characterized by p,p'-DDT and chlordane metabolites. All these associations remained regardless BC immunophenotypes. This is the first epidemiological report that identified serum OCP mixtures associated with BC immunophenotypes. Due to OCP ubiquity, biomagnification, and continuous exposure, they constitute a global problem of persistent exposure that might be related to BC risk.
PubMed: 38964647
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124495 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jul 2024Deep Geological Repository (DGR) concept consist of storing radioactive waste in metal canisters, surrounded by compacted bentonite, and placed into a geological...
Microbial influence in Spanish bentonite slurry microcosms: unveiling a-year long geochemical evolution and early-stage copper corrosion related to nuclear waste repositories.
Deep Geological Repository (DGR) concept consist of storing radioactive waste in metal canisters, surrounded by compacted bentonite, and placed into a geological formation. Here, bentonite slurry microcosms with copper canister, inoculated with bacterial consortium and amended with acetate, lactate and sulfate were set up to investigate their geochemical evolution over a year under anoxic conditions. The impact of microbial communities on the corrosion of copper canister in an early-stage (45 days) was also assessed. The amended bacterial consortium and electron donors/acceptor accelerated the microbial activity, while bentonite heat-shocked process had a retarding effect. The microbial communities partially oxidize lactate to acetate which is subsequently consumed when the lactate is depleted. Early-stage microbial communities showed that the bacterial consortium reduced microbial diversity with Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas dominating the community. However, sulfate-reducing bacteria such as Desulfocurvibacter, Anaerosolibacter, and Desulfosporosinus were enriched coupling oxidation of lactate/acetate with reduction of sulfates. The generated biogenic sulfides could mediate the conversion of copper oxides (possibly formed by trapped oxygen molecules on the bentonite or driven by the reduction of HO) to copper sulfide (CuS) identified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Overall, these findings shed light on the ideal geochemical conditions that would affect the stability of DGR barriers, emphasizing the impact of the SRB on the corrosion of the metal canisters, the gas generation, and the interaction with components of the bentonite.
PubMed: 38964646
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124491 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jul 2024Beryllium-containing sludge (BCS) is a byproduct of the physicochemical treatment of beryllium smelting wastewater. The pollutant element beryllium within BCS is highly...
Beryllium-containing sludge (BCS) is a byproduct of the physicochemical treatment of beryllium smelting wastewater. The pollutant element beryllium within BCS is highly unstable and extremely toxic, characterized by its small ionic radius and low charge density, resulting in a high risk of leaching and migration. This study is the first to investigate the leaching behavior, influencing mechanisms, and kinetic processes of beryllium in BCS under various environmental conditions. The results indicate that, under national standard conditions, beryllium exhibits a rapid leaching phase within the first 5 hours, which then stabilizes after 10 hours, with the total leached content significantly exceeding the leaching toxicity identification standards. Under mildly acidic (pH ≤ 5) or highly alkaline (pH = 14) conditions, beryllium demonstrates pronounced leaching and migration behaviors. Notably, in acidic conditions, the leaching rate exceeds 80% within 5 hours. Combining the treatment process of beryllium-containing wastewater with analytical methods such as SEM, XPS, ToF-SIMS, and FTIR, it is revealed that due to the heterogeneous nature of BCS, the particle aggregates dissociate over time under acidic conditions. The particle surfaces become increasingly rough, leading to dissolution and the emergence of more reactive sites, resulting in a high proportion of beryllium leaching. Under these conditions, the gradual reaction of Be(OH) in BCS to form soluble Be and its hydrolytic complexes is identified as the primary mechanism for extensive beryllium migration. The process encounters minimal diffusion resistance and is classified as reaction-controlled. In acidic conditions with pH = 4, the leaching rate of beryllium significantly increases with rising temperature. The leaching kinetics equation is , with an apparent activation energy of 53.05 kJ·mol.
PubMed: 38964645
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124497 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jul 2024Fluorinated liquid-crystal monomers (FLCMs), a new class of potential persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) emerging pollutants, are extensively utilized in the...
Fluorinated liquid-crystal monomers (FLCMs), a new class of potential persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) emerging pollutants, are extensively utilized in the display panel of various electronic devices. These compounds have been found in various environmental matrixes and dietary. Our previous studies have documented their ubiquitous occurrence in high fat foodstuffs. Infants, a vulnerable group, are more susceptible to the impacts of these pollutants compared to adults. Herein, we provided an assessment of the health risks posed by FLCMs to infants, focusing on their exposure through infant formula. The presence of FLCMs was detected in all infant formulas, with median concentration of 16.5 ng/g dry weight (dw) and the 95th percentile concentration of 65.7 ng/g dw. The most prevalent pollutant in these formulas was 2-fluoro-4-[4'-propyl-1,1'-bi(cyclohexyl)-4-yl] phenyl trifluoromethyl ether (FPrBP), with median and a 95th percentile concentration of 12.2ng/g dw and 23.8 ng/g dw, accounting for 55.2% to the total FLCMs. Infants aged 0-6 months had the highest estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of FLCMs, with the EDI of 267 ng/kg bw/day. FPrBP and 4-[trans-4-(trans-4-Propylcyclohexyl) cyclohexyl]-1-trifluoromethoxybenzene (PCTB) together made up 83.3% of the total EDIs in median exposure scenario of 0-6 months infant. The highest EDI value was 1.30×10 ng/kg bw/day, 77.1% of which was attributed to a combination of FPrBP, 4''-ethyl-2'-fluoro-4-propyl-1,1':4',1''-terphenyl (EFPT), 2-[4'-[difluoro(3,4,5-trifluoro-2-methyl-phenoxy)methyl]-3',5'-difluoro-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4-yl]-5-ethyl-tetrahydro-pyran (DTMPMDP), 4-[Difluoro-(3,4,5-trifluoro-2-methyl-phenoxy)-methyl]-3,5-difluoro-4'-propyl-1,1-biphenyl (DTMPMDB), 2,3-difluoro-1-methyl-4-[(trans,trans)-4'-pentyl[1,1'-bicyclohexyl]-4-yl]benzene (DMPBB) and PCTB. It's worth noting that FLCMs have higher exposure risk. Based on the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) method, the EDI of FPrBP (183 ng/kg bw/day) and FPCB (3.27 ng/kg bw/day) were beyond their TTC values (2.5 ng/kg bw/day) in 0-6 months infant, implying their prospective health risk.
PubMed: 38964644
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124502 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jul 2024Identifying key molecular pathways and genes involved in the response to urban pollutants is an important step in furthering our understanding of the impact of...
Identifying key molecular pathways and genes involved in the response to urban pollutants is an important step in furthering our understanding of the impact of urbanisation on wildlife. The expansion of urban habitats and the associated human-introduced environmental changes are considered a global threat to the health and persistence of humans and wildlife. The present study experimentally investigates how short-term exposure to three urban-related pollutants -soot, artificial light at night (ALAN) and traffic noise- affects transcriptome-wide gene expression in livers from captive female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Compared to unexposed controls, 17, 52, and 28 genes were differentially expressed in soot, ALAN and noise-exposed birds, respectively. In soot-exposed birds, the enriched gene ontology (GO) terms were associated with a suppressed immune system such as interferon regulating genes (IRGs) and responses to external stimuli. For ALAN-exposed birds, enriched GO terms were instead based on downregulated genes associated with detoxification, redox, hormonal-, and metabolic processes. Noise exposure resulted in downregulation of genes associated with the GO terms: cellular responses to substances, catabolic and cytokine responses. Among the individually differentially expressed genes (DEGs), soot led to an increased expression of genes related to tumour progression. Likewise, ALAN revealed an upregulation of multiple genes linked to different cancer types. Both sensory pollutants (ALAN and noise) led to increased expression of genes linked to neuronal function. Interestingly, noise caused upregulation of genes associated with serotonin regulation and function (SLC6A4 and HTR7), which previous studies have shown to be under selection in urban birds. These outcomes indicate that short-term exposure to the three urban pollutants perturbate the liver transcriptome, but most often in different ways, which highlights future studies of multiple-stress exposure and their interactive effects, along with their long-term impacts for urban-dwelling wildlife.
PubMed: 38964643
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124461 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jul 2024Biomass burning play a key role in the global carbon cycle by altering the atmospheric composition, and affect regional and global climate. Despite its importance, a...
Biomass burning play a key role in the global carbon cycle by altering the atmospheric composition, and affect regional and global climate. Despite its importance, a very few high-resolution records are available worldwide, especially for recent climate change. This study analyzes levoglucosan, a specific tracer of biomass burning emissions, in a 38-year ice core retrieved from the Shulehe Glacier No. 4, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The levoglucosan concentration in the Shulehe Glacier No. 4 ice core ranged from 0.1 to 55 ng mL, with an average concentration of 8 ± 8 ng mL. The concentrations showed a decreasing trend from 2002 to 2018. Meanwhile, regional wildfire activities in Central Asian also exhibited a declining trend during the same period, suggesting the potential correspondence between levoglucosan concentration of the Shulehe Glacier No. 4 ice core and the fire activity of Central Asia. Furthermore, a positive correlation also exists between the levoglucosan concentration of the Shulehe Glacier No. 4 ice core and the wildfire counts in Central Asia from 2002 to 2018. While backward air mass trajectory analysis and fire spots data showed a higher distribution of fire counts in South Asia compared to Central Asia, but the dominance of westerly circulation in the northern TP throughout the year. Therefore, the levoglucosan in the Shulehe Glacier No. 4 provides clear evidence of Central Asian wildfire influence on Tibetan Plateau glaciers through westerlies. This highlights a great importance of ice core data for wildfire history reconstruction in the Tibetan Plateau Glacier regions.
PubMed: 38964642
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124496 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jul 2024Oxygen vacancy-rich β-BiO/BiOSiO (BO/BOS) Z-Scheme heterojunction was prepared by hydrothermal method-assisted calcination. Under visible light, β-BiO/BiOSiO...
Oxygen vacancy-rich β-BiO/BiOSiO (BO/BOS) Z-Scheme heterojunction was prepared by hydrothermal method-assisted calcination. Under visible light, β-BiO/BiOSiO photocatalyst demonstrated superior photocatalytic efficacy in degrading antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli (AR E. coli) compared to individual β-BiO and BiOSiO. The experimental results showed that BO/BOS-450 sample possessed the best photocatalytic activity against tetracycline (2 h, 80.8%), amoxicillin (4 h, 57.9%) and AR E. coli (3 h, 10 CFU·mL). BO/BOS-450 sample showed 91.8% electrostatic capture of AR E. coli in the bacterial capture experiment. In the antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) transformation experiment, the tetracycline-resistant, amoxicillin-resistant and ceftriaxone-resistant genes were completely removed after 4 h. Oxygen vacancies (OVs) were verified through HR-TEM, XPS and EPR analyses. ESR experiments aligned with the quenching experiment results, confirming that the crucial active species were •O- 2 and h during photocatalytic sterilization. A small-scale sewage treatment equipment was designed for the effective removal of ARB from real water samples.
PubMed: 38964641
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124500 -
Chemico-biological Interactions Jul 2024Dabrafenib is a BRAF inhibitor that has been demonstrated to be efficacious in the treatment of melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer patients with BRAF V600E...
Dabrafenib is a BRAF inhibitor that has been demonstrated to be efficacious in the treatment of melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer patients with BRAF V600E mutations. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of 51 traditional Chinese medicines on the metabolism of dabrafenib and to further investigate the inhibitory effect of imperatorin. The quantification of dabrafenib and its metabolite hydroxy-dabrafenib was carried out using a sensitive, rapid, and accurate assay method based on ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The results of in vitro experiments showed that 20 drugs inhibited the metabolism of dabrafenib by more than 80%. In a further study of imperatorin on dabrafenib, the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC) values of imperatorin on dabrafenib were 0.22 μM and 3.68 μM in rat liver microsomes (RLM) and human liver microsomes (HLM), respectively, while the inhibition mechanisms were non-competitive and mixed type inhibition, respectively. The results of in vivo experiments demonstrated that in the presence of imperatorin, the AUC, AUC, C, and T of dabrafenib were increased by 2.38-, 2.26-, 1.05-, and 6.10-fold, respectively, while CL was decreased by 67.9%. In addition, T of hydroxy-dabrafenib was increased by 1.4-fold. The results of the research showed that imperatorin had a consistent inhibitory effect on dabrafenib in vitro and in vivo. When the concurrent use of dabrafenib and imperatorin is unavoidable, clinicians should closely monitor for potential adverse events and make timely adjustments to the administered dosage.
PubMed: 38964639
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2024.111131