Environmental analysis, health and toxicology最新文献

A comprehensive study was conducted to assess heavy elemental pollution in the Savannah River, which flows through diverse landscapes encompassing agricultural, industrial, and commercial zones in South Carolina and Georgia. The investigation focused on the impacts of various anthropogenic activities on the river, potentially harming human health and aquatic ecosystems. Thirty samples, collected from the beginning of the Savannah River at Lake Hartwell to the Savannah River estuary near the Atlantic Ocean, were analyzed using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis. In regions of intense industrial activities, water samples exhibited elevated concentrations of elements such as Al (0.04-1.99 mg/L), Mg (0.4-5.5 mg/L), Ba (0.08-2.8 mg/L), Zn (0.017-0.9 mg/L), Cr (0.005-1.5 mg/L), and Fe (2.8-110.13 mg/L). Similarly, sediment samples near industrial areas also exhibited enhanced concentrations of heavy elements like Cr, Zr, Rb, Co, Zn, Mg, Mn, and Al. The outcome of this study has identified a spatial trend along the Savannah River, revealing major elements responsible for pollution that could disrupt the ecological environment and potentially impact human health.

Lead (Pb) poisoning is an environmental substance that accumulates in the hepato-renal tissue, which is hazardous to health, while Anacardium occidentale L. is a tropical herb used to treat oxidative stress and inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the antagonistic effect of Anacardium occidentale leaf extract on lead acetate exposure-induced hepatorenal toxicity in rats. Thirty-six adult Wistar rats were split into six equal groups (n = 6). Group I served as a control, and groups II and III were administered lead acetate (50 mg/kg) and Anacardium occidentale leaf extract (400 mg/kg), respectively, while rats in groups IV-VI were administered Anacardium occidentale (L) extract (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) and 10 mg/kg of Succimer, respectively, and were then administered lead acetate (50 mg/kg). When compared to the group I, rats administered lead acetate showed an increase in hepatic enzymes, urea, creatinine, MDA, TNF-α, and IL-1β (p < 0.001) levels and decreased levels of SOD, CAT, and GSH, whereas Anacardium occidentale prevented the increase in hepatorenal function parameters, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers (TNF-α and IL-1β) induced by lead acetate. Rats administered only lead acetate had a marked increase in hepatic Pb concentration, severe hepatic steatosis, and renal glomerulus degeneration. However, treatment with Anacardium occidentale extract and succimer decreases the Pb concentration, oxidative stress, and inflammation, and also reduces histological liver steatosis and glomerular cytoarchitecture deterioration in the kidney. The results of this study revealed that Anacardium occidentale extract protects against lead acetate-induced liver and kidney toxicity by decreasing oxidative stress and inflammation.

The indiscriminate deposition of metal-containing substances into the environment contributes significantly to high concentrations of metals in the soil resulting in resistance to metals and consequentially to antibiotics by inherent microbes which may eventually spread to other pathogenic microbes thereby elevating disease burden due to antibiotic resistance. The study aimed at determining the co-occurrence of resistance of bacteria isolated from metal-contaminated soil to heavy metals and subsequently, antibiotics. Metal-tolerant bacteria were randomly isolated from top soils from a battery waste site using the pour plate method. Selected isolates were identified using biochemical tests, then, subjected to elevating supplemented concentrations of different metal salts at 100-500 μg/mL to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration. Isolates tolerant to minimum three metals up to 400 μg/mL were subjected to Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (25 μg), Imipenem (10 μg), Amoxicillin (30 μg), Ciprofloxacin (10 μg) and Tigecycline (15 μg) and observations interpreted using the guiding principle of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Metal concentrations in the soils exceeded permissible limits. In total, 16 isolates were selected and identified as Proteus sp. (1), Pseudomonas spp. (5), Enterobacter spp. (2), Klebsiella spp. (2), Escherichia spp. (3), Raoultella spp. (2) and Rahnella sp. (1). Thirteen (81.25 %) of all isolates showed multi-resistance to the metals and seven exhibited multidrug-resistance, with 4 (57.1 %) showing resistance to three different classes of antibiotics and 3 (42.9 %) showed resistance to four antibiotic classes. Heavy metal-tolerant bacteria isolated from this study possess co-selection potentials as they showed resistance to different metals and antibiotics classes which is a concern to public health.

Fenobucarb is one of most common insecticides applied to rice crops in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. Paddy fields are preferred habitats for snakehead fish (Channa striata). Therefore, the probability of exposure risks and growth effects is highly. This paper aimed to examine the effects of using fenobucarb based - Excel Basa 50EC on the brain cholinesterase (ChE) of snakehead fish. Two rice fields, in which a single dose of Excel Basa 50EC was applied to one field, whilst the other acted as a control. Each field was subdivided into three plots by earthen dikes. In each plot, one fish cage (1.2 m x 1.2 m x 1.2 m) was installed that was stocked with 20 snakehead fish. The Excel Basa 50EC was applied once at the indication dose. The results highlighted that the concentration of fenobucarb in water at 1 hr after application was 116.72 ppb ± 12.64, which decreased to 23.96 ± 6.61 ppb after d and then to below detection limits (0.02 ppb). For fish living in this field, no mortality was seen, but ChE was significantly inhibited for 31 % on the first day and recovery following 7 days of exposure. Residues of fenobucarb in soil and fish should also be investigated furthermore.

Artemether-Lumefantrine (AL) is one of the alternative drugs used in treating malaria - an endemic scourge in Africa. AL has been reported to generate free radicals with long term use implicated in testicular pathologies. The antioxidative properties of Aloe vera (AV) has been well documented. This study investigated the ameliorative effect of ethanol extract of Aloe Vera on Artemether-Lumefantrine induced testicular toxicity. Thirty adult male albino rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (Control, AL-dosed, AV-dosed, AL+AV concurrently administered and AV-pretreated). Spermiogram, serum testosterone, testicular histopathology and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) immunohistochemistry were carried out. AL-dosed rats had poor spermiogram indices which were greatly improved in AV-dosed and AV-pretreated rats. These also corresponded with the testicular histopathology observations and were further buttressed by oxidative stress marker (iNOS) as AL-dosed rats had higher signal intensity compared to the control and AV-pretreated rats. Authors posit that concurrent administration of AV and AL protected testicular architecture while pretreating with AV prior AL administration improved the spermiogram. AL induces testicular pathology, thus should be used with care in male subjects. AV can confer a level of protection against these defects if used prior to administration of the drug.

The industrial sector stands out as a significant contributor to environmental pollution. Those who reside in close proximity to industrial areas commonly harbor concerns about potential health and environmental hazards. This study aimed to find out the perception of risk and self-reported health impacts among individuals living near industries in Godawari Municipality, Lalitpur, Nepal. Conducted as a community-based cross-sectional study, it involved 270 households. Face-to-face interviews were employed, utilizing a pretested structured questionnaire. The study zone encompassed the communities of Godawari Municipality within a 3-kilometer radius of industrial sites. Specifically, stone mines, stone crushers, and brick kilns were purposefully selected, while study participants were randomly sampled using a random table. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS, incorporating both univariate and bivariate techniques. Among those residing near industrial zones, a mere 9.6 % reported experiencing wheezing or whistling in the past 12 months. A substantial 36.3% consistently felt stressed due to industrial activities in their vicinity. Approximately half (51.9 %) of the participants indicated that the contaminated air in the area had adverse effects on human health. Furthermore, a palpable perception of elevated risk was associated with the proximity of industries (p<0.001). Over half of the participants perceived a notable risk stemming from the presence of industries near their homes, largely due to pollutants. These individuals also disclosed various health repercussions and expressed significant apprehension regarding their future well-being in the area. The implications of these findings are substantial, particularly for local-level planning and the development of industrial sites. Addressing the concerns surrounding people's heightened perception of risk from nearby industries is pivotal in fostering harmonious coexistence and informed decision-making.

Regulatory decisions for skin sensitization are now based on adverse outcome pathway (AOP) and integrated approaches to testing and assessment (IATA). Based on these, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines on defined approaches for skin sensitization were adopted with a fixed data interpretation procedure (DIP). In the guidelines, "Defined Approaches" (DA) on skin sensitization uses the results from multiple information sources of in chemico, in vitro, and in silico data to achieve an equivalent predictive capacity as those of the animal tests. In this review, we evaluated the skin sensitization of eleven isothiazolinone compounds including 4,5-Dichloro-2-octyl-3(2H)-isothiazolone (DCOIT), 2-n-Octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (OIT), 2-Methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (MIT), 1,2-Benzisothiazolin-3-one (BIT), 1,2-Benzisothiazolin-3-one, 2-butyl (BBIT), 5-Chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (CMIT), 2-methyl-4,5-trimethylene-4-isothiazolin-3-one (MTMIT), 2-methyl-1,2-benzothiazol-3-one (MBIT), 2-methyl-1,2-benzothiazole-3-thione (MBIT-S), 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one, 2-methyl-, 1,1-dioxide (BBIT-O), and a mixture of CMIT/MIT. Data from direct peptide reactivity assay (DPRA), human cell line activation (h-CLAT) test, and quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) Toolbox were evaluated and were applied to the DIP to derive a prediction of hazard identification and a potency classification. Among the evaluated chemicals, six isothiazolinone compounds were classified to be UN GHS 1A, one compound to be UN GHS 1, and four compounds could not be classified due to lack of data. The results of sensitizer chemicals were found to coincide well with those of in vivo test.