Toxics最新文献

Procambarus clarkii (red swamp crayfish) exhibits physiological plasticity that enables adaptation to variable freshwater conditions, such as those in Lake Trasimeno. This study examined whether fluctuations in hydrometric level and associated physicochemical parameters affect oxidative stress responses in the hepatopancreas and abdominal muscle of male and female individuals. Superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and metallothionein reveal tissue, sex, and season-specific differences that indicate adaptive physiological adjustments. Temporal trends were evaluated, and multivariate analyses summarised environmental and metal gradients. Generalised Additive Models (GAMs) were used to explore relationships between oxidative responses and these gradients, with sex as a categorical factor. Associations were identified with hydrometric level, temperature, conductivity, transparency, pH, dissolved oxygen, and metals of biological relevance. These results highlight the remarkable physiological plasticity of P. clarkii, which underpins its success as an invasive species in fluctuating freshwater ecosystems.

This scoping review examined published evidence linking environmental and industrial exposures to breast cancer, synthesizing studies conducted between 2015 and 2025. Using the Arksey and O'Malley framework, 51 peer-reviewed studies were identified and analyzed across five domains: study design, evidence quality, pollutant associations, geographic emphasis, and research gaps. Most studies used retrospective designs, primarily case-control, ecological, cross-sectional, and cohort approaches, which identified associations but could not establish causation. Evidence of quality varied due to heterogeneous environmental modeling methods, exposure to misclassification concerns, and unmeasured confounding, even though 86 percent of studies had sample sizes larger than 1000 cases. Pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were consistently associated with breast cancer, and nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) also showed frequent significant associations. Research was geographically concentrated in North America and Europe, and few studies examined industrial hotspots or low-income regions. Gaps included the need for stronger epidemiological designs, multipollutant models, standardized exposure metrics, and clearer integration of significant environmental findings into public health protections. Overall, while evidence of pollution-related breast cancer risk continued to accumulate, the precautionary principle remained largely unimplemented. Advancing environmental policy, improving exposure transparency, and incorporating hotspot-based approaches are critical for reducing pollutant burdens and strengthening cancer prevention.

As a typical halogenated hydrocarbon environmental pollutant, 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCE) exhibits clinically confirmed hepatotoxicity with incompletely understood mechanisms. This study integrated network toxicology, molecular docking, and in vitro experiments to investigate necroptosis in 1,2-DCE-induced liver injury. Computational analysis predicted involvement of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)/cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) pathway, and molecular docking suggested potential binding between 1,2-DCE and AHR (-6.5 kcal/mol). CCK-8 assays showed that 1,2-DCE reduced THLE-2 hepatocyte viability in a concentration-dependent manner. Notably, 1,2-DCE triggered rapid AHR nuclear translocation within 1 h and transiently upregulated CYP1A1 at both the transcriptional and protein levels (3-6 h). Further studies revealed elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) at 24 h. After 48 h exposure, CYP1A1 expression was significantly suppressed, accompanied by activation of necroptosis markers, including increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, enhanced propidium iodide (PI) staining, and elevated phosphorylation of receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL). These findings reveal a dual-phase mechanism: an early adaptive stress response via the AHR-CYP1A1 axis, followed by pathway dysfunction and transition to necroptosis, suggesting AHR as a potential target for intervening in 1,2-DCE-induced hepatotoxicity.

The intensive cultivation of greenhouse tomatoes generates massive quantities of vegetative residues often laden with potentially complex pesticide contaminants, posing a dual challenge of waste management and environmental toxicity. This study investigated the biological feasibility and system tolerance of valorizing these hazardous residues through vermicomposting with Eisenia fetida, using mixtures of cattle manure and tomato residues (TR) at varying ratios (0-60%) over a 45-day incubation period. The process was monitored through physicochemical parameters (pH, EC, C/N ratio) and sensitive biological indicators (Basal Respiration and Microbial Biomass Carbon). While TR inclusion rates exceeding 30% induced acute inhibitory effects (100% mortality within 5 days) due to acute toxicity, mixtures containing up to 30% were successfully processed. The biological monitoring revealed a distinct "biphasic response": an initial "metabolic lag phase" (days 0-15) driven by chemical stress, followed by a robust "biological recovery" where microbial activity surged significantly after day 30. Correlation analyses confirmed that this recovery was mechanically linked to the acidification of the substrate, as indicated by strong negative correlations between pH and biological activity (r_s = -0.70). Ultimately, vermicomposting significantly reduced Electrical Conductivity (EC) and lowered the C/N ratio below 15 in all viable treatments, confirming the stabilization of waste into an agronomically mature product. The results demonstrate that the earthworm gut functions as an effective bioreactor, facilitating biological stabilization and the mitigation of toxicity in pesticide-laden biomass. This study concludes that vermicomposting is a robust strategy for converting toxic agro-wastes into a stabilized organic amendment, provided that the residue load is managed within the identified physiological tolerance threshold of 30%.

Synthetic cathinones, frequently used in chemsex, are difficult to identify in postmortem blood due to their short half-life and in vitro degradation. This unusual case of chemsex involving 3-CMC highlights the importance of freezing a blood aliquot and testing for metabolites. A 62-year-old man was found dead with chemsex paraphernalia beside him. Peripheral blood with sodium fluoride (PB), cardiac blood (CB) and urine were collected at autopsy. A PB sample was frozen at -20 °C for cathinone testing. In PB at +4 °C, alcohols were measured by HS-GC/FID, drugs and narcotics by LC-HRMS, GHB by GC-MS and cannabinoids by LC-MS/MS. Analysis of PB at +4 °C revealed a toxic concentration of GHB (330 µg/mL). Determination of cathinones in frozen PB revealed the presence of 3-CMC (17 ng/mL), dihydro-3-CMC and N-desmethyldihydro-3-CMC, while no cathinones or metabolites were identified in samples stored at +4 °C. Only metabolites were detected in urine. This case confirms the need to systematically screen for cathinones in suspected chemsex cases and, due to their instability, to screen for different metabolites and to freeze a blood sample after autopsy.

Although particulate matter has been associated with sleep problems, the effects of PM_2.5-bound organophosphate esters (OPEs) on children's sleep remain unclear. OPEs have neurotoxic and endocrine-disrupting effects that may disrupt sleep-wake regulation during neurodevelopment, supporting biological plausibility for sleep impacts. In this study, we quantified the individual and mixture effects of PM_2.5-bound OPEs on the sleep disorder domain. This cross-sectional study included 110,169 children aged 6-18 years from primary and secondary schools in the Pearl River Delta (PRD), China. Sleep disorders were evaluated using the validated Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC). Elastic net and mixed effect models identified specific OPE-sleep associations, while weighted quantile sum regression evaluated mixture effects. All odds ratios indicate a change in the likelihood of sleep disorders per interquartile range (IQR) increase in OPE concentrations. The strongest individual associations were observed for TDCIPP with short sleep duration (OR = 1.56-1.61; moderate association), TEHP with short sleep duration (OR = 1.59-1.64; moderate association), and TPHP with overall sleep disorder (OR = 1.32-1.42; modest association). Combined OPE exposure was positively associated with all sleep disorder domains (ORs = 2.02-2.85; moderate-to-large associations). These results indicate that inhaling PM_2.5-bound OPE mixtures could negatively impact children's sleep health. This emphasizes a critical developmental period and highlights the importance of public health concerns related to emerging airborne contaminants.

Non-point source pollution poses a severe threat to the water quality of the Li River. This study conducted field monitoring of pollution loads from different land-use types on Maozhou Island in the Li River during the 2023 rainy season. Runoff water quality from vegetable plots, orchards, and bamboo forests consistently exceeded standards, with vegetable plots being the primary source of pollution. Their total phosphorus (TP) concentration exceeded standards by nearly 25 times, contributing the highest annual load. The transport of pollutants (TP, total nitrogen(TN), chemical oxygen demand(COD_Cr)) was closely correlated with suspended solids (SS), with the finest particles (<5 μm) identified as the primary carrier exhibiting the strongest pollutant enrichment capacity (e.g., in vegetable fields, the correlation coefficient r between < 5 μm particles and TP was >0.85, p < 0.01). Rainfall patterns significantly influenced pollutant concentrations; TN and TP levels increased with preceding dry days, while phosphorus output from vegetable plots decreased with rising average rainfall temperature. Compared to bamboo forests, vegetable plots and orchards exhibited lower soil adsorption capacity. This study recommends a connectivity-based strategy prioritizing the interception of heavily enriched fine particulate matter (<5 μm) through runoff control and enhanced wetland retention functions. These findings underscore the importance of controlling fine particulate matter for reducing non-point source pollution and maintaining ecological health in the Lijiang River basin.

To investigate the distribution, sources, and partitioning of heavy metals at the sediment-water interface in the northern Jiangsu coastal waters, seawater and sediment samples were collected from 24 stations east of Yanwei Port in April 2021. The concentrations of seven heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Hg, and As) and environmental parameters were determined. Methods including principal component analysis (PCA), random forest (RF), positive matrix factorization (PMF), the partition coefficient (Kp), and the source-specific partition coefficient (S-Kp) were applied. The results showed the following: (1) The overall concentration order was Zn > Cu > As > Pb > Cd > Hg in seawater and Zn > Cr > Cu > Pb > As > Hg > Cd in sediments, with Cd and Pb characterized by high spatial variability. (2) PCA and RF indicated that dissolved heavy metals were mainly influenced by dissolved oxygen, petroleum, phosphate, and dissolved inorganic nitrogen, with DIN playing a common dominant role. PMF revealed three main sources for sediment metals: agricultural (contributing notably to Cu and Zn), traffic and industrial exhaust (dominating Pb, Cr, and Hg inputs), and industrial (primarily affecting Cd, Cr, and Pb). (3) Kp analysis suggested that Pb, As, and Cu were readily adsorbed by sediments, while Cd, Hg, and Zn tended to remain dissolved. Critically, S-Kp demonstrated source dependent partitioning: Pb derived from industrial sources was almost entirely associated with sediments, while Cu and Zn originating from traffic and industrial exhaust emissions were predominantly present in the aqueous phase, and Cu and Pb derived from agricultural sources were largely deposited in sediments. These findings provide a scientific basis for heavy metal pollution control in the region.

This study systematically investigates cadmium (Cd) accumulation and translocation mechanisms in woody plants through integrated analysis of 16 species. Roots consistently exhibited the highest Cd concentrations (0.26 ± 0.13 mg/kg), serving as primary accumulation sites, while bark functioned as a critical secondary storage organ (0.22 ± 0.09 mg/kg) with strong physiological coordination to roots (r = 0.72, p < 0.001). Leaves demonstrated strict Cd restriction (0.09 ± 0.05 mg/kg) and low variability (CV = 48.7%), indicating evolutionary adaptations to minimize phytotoxicity in photosynthetic tissues. Three functional groups were identified: hyperaccumulators (e.g., Ulmus pumila, root/leaf ratio = 6.37), excluders (e.g., Malus spectabilis, root/leaf ratio = 1.12), and intermediate species (e.g., Syringa oblata) with balanced translocation patterns. Strong root-bark correlations (r = 0.68) and negative stem-leaf associations (r = -0.42) revealed complex interorgan translocation dynamics. Cd speciation analysis showed dominant residual fractions in soils (60-80%) and elevated water-soluble or weakly bound Cd in roots (35-52%). These findings provide a mechanistic basis for designing species-specific phytoremediation strategies, including phytoextraction and ecological stabilization. It will identify suitable tree species for effectively stabilizing or containing the metal pollution within a defined area, thereby preventing its lateral spread or leaching.

The increasing environmental release of nano-titanium dioxide (nTiO₂) due to its widespread industrial application raises concerns about its potential effects on aquatic ecosystems, particularly marine organisms. Fertilization, a critical reproductive process for broadcast-spawning bivalves, is highly sensitive to environmental pollutants. In the present investigation, we explored the effects of nTiO₂ at environmentally relevant concentrations on oocyte quality and the fertilization process in the economically important marine bivalve Tegillarca granosa. nTiO₂ exposure significantly reduced fertilization success and sperm-egg fusion efficiency, while markedly increasing polyspermy incidence. Mechanistically, nTiO₂ triggered oxidative stress in oocytes, elevating ROS and MDA levels and causing structural damage to the oocyte membrane. Moreover, nTiO₂ exposure disrupted cellular energy metabolism by inhibiting PK and PFK activities, depleting ATP content, and reducing MMP. Additionally, nTiO₂ exposure impaired Ca²⁺ homeostasis by suppressing Ca²⁺-ATPase activity, which reduced intracellular Ca²⁺ levels. These cellular disruptions collectively compromised the cortical reaction by inhibiting cortical granule exocytosis and microfilament migration. Our findings suggest that nTiO₂-induced oxidative stress, coupled with an imbalance in energy and Ca²⁺ homeostasis, impairs the cortical reaction and fertilization capacity in T. granosa. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanistic pathway underlying the reproductive toxicity of nTiO₂ in marine invertebrates, offering a basis for evaluating the ecological risks associated with the presence of nanomaterials in marine environments.