Fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) has been associated with risk of oral and respiratory diseases. However, the biological mechanisms of adverse oral and respiratory health response to PM₂.₅ fluctuation have not been well characterized. This study aims to explore the relationships of PM₂.₅ with airway inflammation, salivary biomarkers and buccal mucosa microbiota. We performed a panel study among 40 college students involving 4 follow-ups from August to October 2021 in Hefei, Anhui Province, China. Health outcomes included fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), salivary biomarkers [C-reactive protein (CRP), cortisol, lysozyme and alpha-amylase] and buccal mucosa microbial diversity. Linear mixed-effect models were applied to explore the cumulative impacts of PM₂.₅ on health indicators. PM₂.₅ was positively correlated with FeNO, CRP, cortisol and alpha-amylase, while negatively with lysozyme. Per 10-μg/m³ increase in PM₂.₅ was linked to maximum increments in FeNO of 10.71% (95%CI: 2.01%, 19.41%) at lag 0–24 h, in CRP of 7.10% (95%CI: 5.39%, 8.81%) at lag 0–24 h, in cortisol of 1.25% (95%CI: 0.44%, 2.07%) at lag 0–48 h, and in alpha-amylase of 2.12% (95%CI: 0.53%, 3.71%) at lag 0–24 h, while associated with maximum decrement in lysozyme of 0.53% (95%CI: 0.12%, 0.95%) at lag 0–72 h. Increased PM₂.₅ was linked to reduction in the richness and evenness of buccal microbe and o_Bacillales and o_Bacteroidales were identified as differential microbes after PM₂.₅ inhalation. Bio-information analysis indicated that immunity system pathway was the most important enriched abundant process altered by PM₂.₅ exposure. In summary, short-term PM₂.₅ exposure may impair oral and respiratory health by inducing inflammatory and stress responses, weakening immune function and altering buccal mucosa microbial diversity.

Quinone is the important redox functional group for electron transfer capacity (ETC) of humic acid (HA). Lignin, as major component in corn straw, can be decomposed into phenol monomers, then oxidation into quinones for synthesis of HA during composting process. However, it is still unclear that the effects of type and variation characteristics of phenol monomers on redox characteristics of HA during straw composting process. In this study, p-hydroxybenzoic acid (P1), vanillic acid (P2), syringic acid (P3), p-hydroxy benzaldehyde (P4), 4-coumaric acid (P5), 4-hydroxyacetophenone (P6), ferulic acid (P7) and 4-hydroxy-3-methylacetophenone (P8) were recognized and clustered into three groups. The concentration of polyphenol presented a significant downward trend during the straw composting process. Based on the relationships among phenol monomers to ETC, electron donating capacity (EDC), electron accepting capacity (EAC) and quinone, we found that P1, P2, P3, P5 and P7 were significantly related to ETC, EDC and EAC of HA (P < 0.05). Furthermore, NH₄⁺-N and NO₃⁻-N were the main micro-environmental factors linking to ETC-related phenol monomers and redox characteristics of HA in straw composts (P < 0.05). Finally, two groups of core microflora that promoting the ETC-related phenol monomers and NH₄⁺-N, and ETC-related phenol monomers and NO₃⁻-N were identified by Mantel test, respectively. This study contributes a new insight for polyphenol way for redox capacity of HA in traditional composting and utilization of straw compost in contaminated environments.

Amyl salicylate (AS) is a fragrance massively used as a personal care product and following the discharged in wastewaters may end up in the aquatic environment representing a potential threat for the ecosystem and living organisms. AS was recently detected in water of the Venice Lagoon, a vulnerable area continuously subjected to the income of anthropogenic chemicals. The lagoon is a relevant area for mollusc farming, including the Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) having an important economic and ecological role. Despite high levels of AS occurred in water of the Lagoon of Venice, no studies investigated the possible consequences of AS exposures on species inhabiting this ecosystem to date. For the first time, we applied a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the potential effects of the fragrance AS on Mediterranean mussels. To reach such a goal, bioaccumulation, cellular, biochemical, and molecular analyses (RNA-seq and microbiota characterization) were measured in mussels treated for 7 and 14 days with different AS Venice lagoon environmental levels (0.1 and 0.5 μg L⁻¹). Despite chemical investigations suggested low AS bioaccumulation capability, cellular and molecular analyses highlighted the disruption of several key cellular processes after the prolonged exposures to the high AS concentration. Among them, potential immunotoxicity and changes in transcriptional regulation of pathways involved in energy metabolism, stress response, apoptosis and cell death regulations have been observed. Conversely, exposure to the low AS concentration demonstrated weak transcriptional changes and transient increased representation of opportunistic pathogens, as Arcobacter genus and Vibrio aestuarianus. Summarizing, this study provides the first overview on the effects of AS on one of the most widely farmed mollusk species.

The soybean processing wastewater (SPW) supplementation to facilitate the simultaneously treatment (SPW and mesosulfuron-methyl) of wastewater and production of biological substances by Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides (R. sphaeroides) was discussed. Compared with the control group, with the addition of SPW, mesosulfuron-methyl was removed, and the yields of single-cell proteins, carotenoids, and bacteriochlorophyll were increased. In the 3 mg/L dose group, the mesosulfuron-methyl removal rate reached 97% after 5 days. Molecular analysis revealed that mesosulfuron-methyl exhibited induction effects on expression of the cpm gene and regulation effects on the synthesis of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450) by activating HKs gene in TCS signal transduction pathway. For R. sphaeroides, this induction process required 1 day. The synthesis of P450 occurred 1 day after inoculation. Prior to expressing cpm gene and synthesizing P450, R. sphaeroides need a period of time to adapt to external mesosulfuron-methyl stimulation. However, the R. sphaeroides growth could not be maintained for more than 1 day due to the lack of organic matter in the raw wastewater. The SPW supplementation provided a sufficient carbon source in four groups with added SPW. After 5 days, R. sphaeroides became the dominant microflora in the wastewater. This new method could complete the treatment of mixed wastewater, the increased of biological substances output and the reuse of wastewater and R. sphaeroides cells as resources at the same time.

The pollution of aquatic bodies by pharmaceutical compounds is an emerging environmental problem, with little explored consequences. Oxytetracycline (OTC) is an antibiotic used for treatment of infections caused by a variety of microorganisms and it is widely employed in medicine, livestock husbandry and aquaculture. This pharmaceutical compound may cause deleterious effects on non-target aquatic organisms as microalgae. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of OTC on growth, pigment content and morpho-physiology of the microalga Isochrysis galbana Parke. The results highlighted that OTC exposure inhibited the growth of I. galbana in cultures treated with OTC 5.0 and 10.0 mg/L after 3 days and in cultures treated with OTC 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 mg/L after 5 days. Effects of OTC on cells ultrastructure and physiology consisted in large cytoplasmic lipid inclusions and in a decrease of photosynthetic pigments amount.

Glyphosate, one of the most popular herbicides, has become a prominent aquatic contaminant because of its huge usage. The eco-safety of glyphosate is still in controversy, and it is inconclusive how glyphosate influences aquatic microbial communities. In the present study, the effects of glyphosate on the structure and function of microbial communities in a freshwater microcosm were investigated. 16S/18S rRNA gene sequencing results showed that glyphosate treatment (2.5 mg L⁻¹, 15 days) did not significantly alter the physical and chemical condition of the microcosm or the composition of the main species in the community, but metatranscriptomic analyses indicated that the transcriptions of some cyanobacteria were significantly influenced by glyphosate. The microbial community enhanced the gene expression in pathways related to translation, secondary metabolites biosynthesis, transport and catabolism to potentially withstand glyphosate contamination. In the low phosphorus (P) environment, a common cyanobacterium, Synechococcus, plays a special role by utilizing glyphosate as P source and thus reducing its toxicity to other microbes, such as Pseudanabaena. In general, addition of glyphosate in our artificial microcosms did not strongly affect the aquatic microbial community composition but did alter the community’s transcription levels, which might be potentially explained by that some microbes could alleviate glyphosate’s toxicity by utilizing glyphosate as a P source.

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is widely used as plasticizer and has been detected in the environment, posing a threat to animal health. However, the effects of DBP on agricultural microbiomes are not known. In this study, DBP levels in black soil were evaluated, and the impact of DBP contamination on the uptake and metabolism of sugars in microbes was assessed by glucose absorption tests, metaproteomics, metabolomics, enzyme activity assays and computational simulation analysis. The results indicated that DBP contamination accelerated glucose consumption and upregulated the expression of porins and periplasmic monosaccharide ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter solute-binding proteins (SBPs). DBP and its metabolic intermediates (carboxymuconate and butanol) may form a stable complex with sugar transporters and enhance the rigidity and stability of these proteins. Sugar metabolism resulting in the generation of ATP and reducing agent (NADPH), as well as the expression of some key enzymes (dehydrogenases) were also upregulated by DBP treatment. Moreover, a diverse bacterial community appears to utilize sugar, suggesting that there are widespread effects of DBP contamination on soil microbial ecosystems. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for investigating the toxicological effects of DBP on microbes in black soil.

The Deception Island, located in Maritime Antarctica, is a volcanic island with geothermal activity and one of the most visited by tourists. However, the extent of the anthropogenic impact remains largely unknown and the factors shaping the resistance/tolerance mechanisms in the microbiomes from Whalers Bay ecosystems have never been investigated. In this context, this study aimed to reveal the resistome profiles of Whalers Bay sediments and correlate them with environmental factors. Samples were collected at four sites during the summer 2014/2015 along a transect of 27.5 m in the Whalers Bay sediments. DNA isolated from sediment samples was sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq platform. Bioinformatic analyses allowed the assembly of contigs and scaffolds, prediction of ORFs, and taxonomic and functional annotation using NCBI RefSeq database and KEGG orthology, respectively. Microorganisms belonging to the genera Psychrobacter, Flavobacterium and Polaromonas were shown to dominate all sites, representing 60% of taxonomic annotation. Arsenic (As), copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) were the most abundant metal resistance/tolerance types found in the microbiomes. Beta-lactam was the most common class related to antibiotics resistance/tolerance, corroborating with previous environmental resistome studies. The acridine class was the most abundant amongst the biocide resistance/tolerances, related to antiseptic compounds. Results gathered in this study reveal a repertoire of resistance/tolerance classes to antibiotics and biocides unusually found in Antarctica. However, given the volcanic nature (heavy metals-rich region) of Deception Island soils, this putative impact must be viewed with caution.

Fish-associated antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have attracted increasing attention due to their potential risks to human beings via the food chain. However, data are scarce regarding the antibiotic resistance in fish themselves. Herein, the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were assessed in the gut of four major Chinese freshwater carp (i.e., silver carp, grass carp, bighead carp, and crucian carp) from food retail markets. Results show that the abundances of target ARGs (e.g., tetA, tetO, tetQ, tetW, sulI, sulII, and blaTEM₋₁) and class 1 integrase (intI1) were in the range 9.4 × 10⁻⁶ - 1.6 × 10⁻¹ and 6.7 × 10⁻⁵ - 5.2 × 10⁻² gene copies per 16S rRNA gene, respectively. The sulI, sulII, and tetQ strongly correlated with silver and mercury resistance genes (e.g., silE and merR). The microbial taxa of fish gut could be partly separated among retail markets based on the PCA analysis. About 15.0% of the OTUs in fish gut were shared and 74.5% of the shared OTUs were identified as Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. These phyla may constitute the core microbiota in the guts of the four Chinese freshwater carp. The possible ARG hosts were revealed based on the network analysis, and the presence of pathogen-associated resistant genera in fish gut highlights the need to fully understand their potential human health risks.

A biofilm reactor was designed with flat ceramic substrates to remove Co(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) from industrial wastewater. The ceramics were made of clay and nano-rubber with high mechanical resistance. The surface of the ceramic substrate was modified with neutral fiber and nano-hydroxyapatite. A uniform and stable biofilm mass of 320 g with 2 mm of thickness was produced on the modified ceramic after 3 d. The micro-organisms were identified in the biofilm by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Functional groups of biofilms were identified with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR). Experiments were designed by central composite design (CCD) using the responsive surface method (RSM). The biosorption process was optimized at pH = 5.8, temperature = 22 °C, feed flux of heavy metal wastewater = 225 ml, substrate flow = 30 ml, and retention time = 7.825 h. The kinetic data was analyzed by pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order kinetic models. Isotherm models and thermodynamic parameters were applied to describe the biosorption equilibrium data of the metal ions on the biofilm-ceramic. The maximum biosorption efficiency and capacity of heavy metal ions were about 72% and 57.21 mg, respectively.