Current Pollution Reports最新文献

Purpose of Review

The increasing occurrence of emerging chemicals of concern in the environment has caused high public attention. Assessing their hematologic toxicities is of high priority, as the blood circulation system is usually essential in transporting these exogenous substances to diverse target tissues in vivo. The plasma kallikrein-kinin system (KKS) is one of the most abundant protease enzyme systems and regulates a series of crucial hematologic functions. As a vulnerable target, the KKS may sensitively respond to circulatory pollutants, and combing the current studies on the interaction of the environmental contaminants with the KKS would help understand the toxicological or pathological significance of this system.

Recent Findings

The current studies have revealed that some environmental contaminants, such as small molecular organic chemicals, engineered nanoparticles (NPs), and atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM), can directly interact with the KKS, causing the autoactivation of the Hageman factor XII (FXII), the subsequent cascade cleavage of the plasma prekallikrein (PPK), and high molecular kininogen (HK). The consequent downstream hematological effects and other related toxicities can be concomitantly induced via the crosstalk with the KKS. In addition, multiple approaches, based on in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experimental models, have been developed to characterize the binding of exogenous substances with FXII, conformational changes of the protein, the cascade activation of the KKS, and downstream toxicological or pathological responses.

Summary

As a vulnerable target, the plasma KKS sensitively responds to the exposure of environmental pollutants and is promising for biomonitoring hematotoxicity in future studies.

Air pollution and the various chemicals that are a part of this complex mixture have been associated with several adverse infant health outcomes. One major area of research is describing the underlying biological mechanism between air pollution and adverse infant health outcomes. Metabolomics, a new omics field, studies small molecules present in a biological matrix and may provide insight into underlying biological mechanism. We conducted a narrative review of the literature to identify studies utilizing metabolomics with air pollution, or some potential component of it, and adverse infant health. We identified seven studies that met our inclusion criteria. These studies described a range of potential air pollutants including tobacco smoke, PAH, NO₂, PM_2.5, O₃, BC, heavy metals, and PFAS. The studies mainly focused on gestational age and weight outcomes. Metabolic analysis revealed many altered metabolomic pathways including those related to amino acid metabolism, glycan metabolism, lipid metabolism, and cofactor and vitamin metabolism. These studies provide valuable insight into the potential biological mechanisms that underpin the association between air pollution and adverse gestational outcomes. Future studies should utilize longitudinal study design and use complex mixture analysis for air pollution exposure assessment, as well as focus on the use of more toxicologically relevant target tissue for infant health outcomes.

Purpose of Review

This review collates and analyses data on noise exposure of birds in relation to avian hearing system performance. It provides new insights into the mechanistic pathways of anthropogenic noise impact on avian species.

Recent Findings

Noise impacts both humans and wildlife. Birds are of conservation concern, given the recent reports of major global declines in bird populations and that one in eight bird species is threatened with extinction. Studies of noise impacts on birds have been, and continue to be, published. Whilst many of these studies report associations between noise and a response in birds, relatively few provide clear demonstration of the mechanisms of impact.

Summary

Anatomical and physiological datasets were compiled for species representing nineteen avian orders. Information on noise sources, propagation path and habitat selection was also collated. Bird order was not a good predictor of bird hearing frequencies, but body dimensions were. In general, smaller birds were found to have higher peak hearing frequencies than larger birds. Cranium height was the strongest predictor of peak hearing frequency for birds. These findings provide mechanistic context to noise impacts on birds and a potential basis for predicting responses of avian species to different noise environments.

Purpose of Review

In the presented review, we have summarized and highlighted recent developments in the use of lignin peroxidase (LiP) to remove a variety of pollutants from water matrices. The high redox potential of LiP is underlined by its excellent catalytic functionalities in the elimination of pharmaceuticals, phenolics, dyes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and other miscellaneous pollutants. LiP-based computational frameworks for theoretical bioremediation of multiple pollutants have also been discussed, which have prompted a rise in scientific interest.

Recent Findings

According to current studies, both free and immobilized LiPs are biocatalysts capable of efficient pollutant degradation and LMW transformation. Some immobilized LiP preparations demonstrated excellent recyclability, enabling its reusability in multiple catalytic cycles. Additionally, computational degradability makes it easier to comprehend the mechanisms underlying the degradation of recalcitrant pollutants.

Summary

The capacity of LiP to cleave C–C and C–O–C bonds has led to its widespread application as a biocatalyst. Its outstanding potential to catalyze oxidative cleavage has been effectively used in the remediation of pollutants without needing mediators. Nevertheless, we brought attention to the current LiP system in pollutants remediation and computational framework, which has generated a significant rise in scientific interest.

Purpose of Review

This review aims to provide a comprehensive examination of oxidation flow reactor (OFR) studies and their applications in both laboratory and field investigations. OFRs play a crucial role in understanding secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and aging processes in the atmosphere. By evaluating the advancements and limitations of OFR technology, this review seeks to identify key research directions and challenges for future studies in atmospheric chemistry and air quality research.

Recent Findings

In recent years, OFR has emerged as an encouraging alternative to smog chambers for SOA study. The high oxidative capacity and short residence time of OFR enable its wide application in both laboratory and field studies. Research utilizing OFR has uncovered the critical role of semi-volatile and intermediate-volatility organic compounds (S/IVOCs) in the formation of SOA from various sources, including vehicle emissions, biomass burning, cooking activities, and non-traditional emissions such as volatile chemical products. Notably, field studies have observed considerable variability in the SOA formation potential across different environments globally, generally showing higher formation potential in urban areas compared to rural and forest regions.

Summary

OFR studies have significantly advanced our understanding of SOA formation and aging processes, identifying key precursors, evaluating influencing factors, and quantifying SOA formation potential. However, challenges remain in unraveling detailed mechanisms due to the complexity of SOA sources and properties. Future OFR research should focus on innovations in OFR design, study non-traditional emissions, conduct long-term field observations, develop standardized calibration procedures, and establish SOA yield parameterization schemes for S/IVOCs.

Purpose of Review

Different drying methods can cause errors in determining the content and evaluating the biological effectiveness of various forms of phosphorus (P) in sediment. The drying pretreatment effectively promotes the conversion of amorphous iron and aluminium oxides to their crystalline form, which ultimately impacts the adsorption capabilities of sediment. However, limited research has been conducted in this field previously. Sediments from the Weiyuan River, Baoenqiao Reservoir, and Honghu Lake in China were pretreated using freeze-drying, air-drying, and oven-drying methods. The effects of pretreatment methods on P were evaluated through P fractionation and isothermal adsorption experiments. The study also investigated the proportion and amount of amorphous iron and aluminium (Fe_ox and Al_ox) transformed into crystalline forms.

Recent Findings

The results revealed that drying pretreatment markedly increased the potentially bioavailable P(BAP) (6.73%). This increase can be attributed to the rise in loosely-bound P (48.30%) and P bound to metal oxides (9.51%), which are predominant contributors to BAP. Furthermore, sediment adsorption performance significantly decreases after drying pretreatment. This is due to the reduced content of Fe_ox (64.02%) and Al_ox (36.61%), which exhibit higher P adsorption capacity. Additionally, drying led to a significant reduction in SP_max (25.09%) and PSI (28.20%), along with an increase in EPC₀ (24.96%) and DPS (6.83%).

Summary

Different drying treatments affected the P forms and sorption properties of the sediment to varying degrees, with the overall effect being oven-drying > air-drying > freeze-drying > fresh samples. Consequently, when fresh sediment is not available for laboratory analysis, freeze-drying may be a more realistic method for characterizing P properties.

Graphical Abstract

Abstract

Purpose of Review

The synergistic effects of microplastics (MPs) and heavy metals are becoming major threats to aquatic life and human well-being. Therefore, understanding synergistic interactions between MPs and heavy metals is crucial to comprehend their environmental impacts.

Recent Findings

The mechanisms such as electrostatic attraction, surface interactions, ion exchange, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic forces, and π–π interactions behind the synergistic effects of MPs and heavy metals were critically reviewed and justified. In addition, the roles of surface chemistry in these interactions were also emphasized. Finally, efficient remediation techniques aligning with a circular economy-based initiative to promote sustainable solutions were recommended to mitigate plastic-heavy metal pollution to achieve a cleaner environment.

Summary

This review examines the combined impact of MPs and heavy metals in aquatic ecosystems, detailing their mechanistic interactions, and consequences with proposed sustainable solutions. Additionally, this review highlights the MP-heavy metal contamination risks and emphasizes the need for further research to safeguard aquatic life and human health.

Abstract

The presence of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in various environments poses a significant challenge due to their widespread volume, complexity, and harmful effects on environment and human health. NSAIDs elimination from the ecosystem has become an urgent priority. Therefore, the present study focuses on evaluating specific microorganisms capable of effectively remediating pharmaceutical wastewater and reducing NSAIDs contamination. Acidophile microorganisms exhibit unique survival abilities in acidic conditions and demonstrate the potential for degrading pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater. These microorganisms utilize these compounds as their sole carbon and energy sources, converting them into valuable bioproducts. Acidophile microorganisms display various functional processes, including biodegradation, biotransformation, biosorption, and bioaccumulation. It is noteworthy that bioaccumulation is mostly found in microalgae since they have more protein to uptake NSAIDs. A detailed understanding of bioaccumulation in acidophile microorganisms is recommended as degradation mechanisms. In addition, metabolites can be acknowledged by omics approaches since it has yet to be exposed.