The abuse or misuse of antibiotics is directly linked to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment. Most fish farms located on Jeju Island operate a flow-through system that pumps in seawater for fish farming and discharges it back to the ocean. To investigate the amount of ARGs that these fish farm effluents discharge into the marine environment, we conducted a metagenomic-based resistome analysis. We observed higher levels of ARGs in fish farm effluents than in seawater at beach and residential areas. A greater proportion of ARGs was found on plasmid rather than on chromosomal DNA, especially for sulfonamide and phenicol classes. The distribution of ARGs did not differ between summer and winter, but the microbial community did. In addition, fish farm samples contained significantly more opportunistic pathogens (i.e., Vibrio, Photobacterium, Aliivibrio, and Tenacibaculum) and virulence factors than non-fish farm samples. Vibrio was the most frequently identified host of ARGs and virulence factors. The presence of Vibrio in the coastal area has been increasing owing to the recent rise in the temperature of seawater. This study suggests the need for actions to treat or monitor ARGs in the coastal areas where fish farms operating a flow-through system are located.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a highly valuable component of syngas which could be used to synthesize various chemicals and fuels. Conventionally, syngas is derived from fossil-based natural gas and coal which are non-renewable. To curb the problem, CO₂ gasification offers a win-win solution in which CO₂ is converted with wastes to CO, achieving carbon emission mitigation and addressing waste disposal issue simultaneously. In this review, gasification of various wastes by CO₂ with particular focus given to generation of CO-rich syngas is presented and critically discussed. This includes the effects of operating parameters (temperature, pressure and physicochemical properties of feedstocks) and advanced CO₂ gasification techniques (catalytic CO₂ gasification, CO₂ co-gasification and microwave-driven CO₂ gasification). Furthermore, associated technological challenges are highlighted and way forward in this field are proposed.

A vast amount of evidence indicates that bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates are widely distributed in the environment since these compounds are mass-produced for the manufacture of plastics and plasticizers. These compounds belong to a large group of substances termed endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC). It is well known that humans and living organisms are unavoidably and unintentionally exposed to BPA and phthalates from food packaging materials and many other everyday products. BPA and phthalates exert their effect by interfering with hormone synthesis, bioavailability, and action, thereby altering cellular proliferation and differentiation, tissue development, and the regulation of several physiological processes. In fact, these EDC can alter fetal programming at an epigenetic level, which can be transgenerational transmitted and may be involved in the development of various chronic pathologies later in the adulthood, including metabolic, reproductive and degenerative diseases, and certain types of cancer.In this review, we describe the most recent proposed mechanisms of action of these EDC and offer a compelling selection of experimental, epidemiological and clinical studies, which show evidence of how exposure to these pollutants affects our health during development, and their association with a wide range of reproductive, metabolic and neurological diseases, as well as hormone-related cancers. We stress the importance of concern in the general population and the urgent need for the medical health care system to closely monitor EDC levels in the population due to unavoidable and involuntary exposure to these pollutants and their impact on human health.

or sugar-derived compounds were used as environmentally friendly additives for the depolymerization of Kraft lignin waste and organosolv lignin prepared from Miscanthus giganteus. The yields of the aromatic monomers obtained from Kraft lignin increased from 5.1 to 49.2% with the addition of mannitol, while those obtained from organosolv lignin increased from 44.4 to 83.0% with the addition of sucrose. This improved lignin depolymerization was also confirmed by gel permeation chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The above results clearly indicate the beneficial effects of carbohydrate derivatives on the lignin depolymersization process, more specifically, suggesting that the presence of carbohydrates improve the lignin depolymerization of lignocellulose, as observed for the raw lignocellulose feed.

The UK implemented a lockdown in Spring (2020) to curtail the person-to-person transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Measures restricted movements to one outing per day for exercise and shopping, otherwise most people were restricted to their dwelling except for key workers (e.g. medical, supermarkets, and transport). In this study, we quantified changes to air quality across the United Kingdom from 30/03/2020 to 03/05/2020 (weeks 14–18), the period of most stringent travel restrictions. Daily pollutant measurements of NO₂, O₃ and PM₂.₅ from the national network of monitoring sites during this period were compared with measurements over the same period during 2017–19. Comparisons were also made with predicted concentrations for the 2020 period from business-as-usual (BAU) modelling, where the contributions of normal anthropogenic activities were estimated under the observed meteorological conditions. During the lockdown study period there was a 69% reduction in traffic overall (74% reduction in light and 35% in heavy vehicles). Measurements from 129 monitoring stations, identified mean reductions in NO₂ of 38.3% (−8.8 μg/m³) and PM₂.₅ of 16.5% (−2.2 μg/m³). Improvements in NO₂ and PM₂.₅ were largest at urban traffic sites and more modest at background locations where a large proportion of the population live. In contrast, O₃ concentrations on average increased by 7.6% (+4.8 μg/m³) with the largest increases at roadside sites due to reductions in local emissions of NO. A lack of VOC monitoring limited our capacity to interpret changes in O₃ at urban background locations. BAU models predicted comparable NO₂ reductions and O₃ gains, although PM₂.₅ episodes would have been more prominent without lockdown. Results demonstrate the relatively modest contribution of traffic to air quality, suggesting that sustained improvements in air quality require actions across various sectors, including working with international and European initiatives on long-range transport air pollutants, especially PM₂.₅ and O₃.

Humans benefit from nuclear technologies but consequently experience nuclear disasters or side effects of iatrogenic radiation. Hematopoietic system injury first arises upon radiation exposure. As an intricate new layer of genetic control, the posttranscriptional m⁶A modification of RNA has recently come under investigation and has been demonstrated to play pivotal roles in multiple physiological and pathological processes. However, how the m⁶A methylome functions in the hematopoietic system after irradiation remains ambiguous. Here, we uncovered the time-varying epitranscriptome-wide m⁶A methylome and transcriptome alterations in γ-ray-exposed mouse bone marrow. 4 Gy γ-irradiation rapidly (5 min and 2 h) and severely impaired the mouse hematopoietic system, including spleen and thymus weight, blood components, tissue inflammation and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. The m⁶A content and expression of m⁶A related enzymes were altered. Gamma-irradiation triggered dynamic and reversible m⁶A modification profiles and altered mRNA expression, where both m⁶A fold-enrichment and mRNA expression most followed the (5 min_up/2 h_down) pattern. The CDS enrichment region preferentially upregulated m⁶A peaks at 5 min. Moreover, the main GO and KEGG pathways were closely related to metabolism and the classical radiation response. Finally, m⁶A modifications correlated with transcriptional regulation of genes in multiple aspects. Blocking the expression of m⁶A demethylases FTO and ALKBH5 mitigated radiation hematopoietic toxicity. Together, our findings present the comprehensive landscape of mRNA m⁶A methylation in the mouse hematopoietic system in response to γ-irradiation, shedding light on the significance of m⁶A modifications in mammalian radiobiology. Regulation of the epitranscriptome may be exploited as a strategy against radiation damage.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important precursors of photochemical pollution. However, a substantial fraction of VOCs, namely, oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs), have not been sufficiently characterized to evaluate their sources in air pollution in China. In this study, a total of 119 VOCs, including 60 OVOCs in particular, were monitored to provide a more comprehensive picture based on different online measurement techniques, proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) and online gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), at a receptor site in southeastern China during a photochemically active period. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) and photochemical age-based parameterization were combined to identify and quantify different sources of major VOCs during daytime hours, with the advantage of including VOC decay processes. The results revealed the unexpected role of biomass burning (21%) in terms of ozone (O₃) formation potential (OFP) when including the contributions of OVOCs and large contributions (30–32%) of biomass burning to aldehydes, as more OVOCs were measured in this study. We argue that biomass burning could significantly enhance the continental atmospheric oxidizing capacity, in addition to the well-recognized contributions of primary pollutants, which should be seriously considered in photochemical models and air pollution control strategies.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) poses a serious health risk through not only their own toxicity but also their role as precursors of ozone and secondary organic aerosols. The chemical industry, as one of the pillar industries in eastern China, is a key source of VOCs emissions. In this study, speciated VOCs emissions were measured in two chemical plants in eastern China. Oxygenated VOCs and aromatics were found to be the dominant species categories in both plants. The ozone formation potential (OFP) and secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOAFP) of VOCs from dedicated resin production were both higher than general resin production. Three process-based models were used for the estimation of VOCs emissions from the two tested plants as a case study. The comparison between the emission factor model and the model with best available estimation methods (e.g., the measurement-based method, the mass balance method, the empirical formula method, and the correlation equation method) implied possible overestimation of the widely used emission factor model for the chemical industry. The probabilistic model developed in this study incorporated probability distribution of key parameters and proved to be a promising tool for emission inventory development and uncertainty analysis. The overall uncertainties of VOCs emissions based on the model were (−48%, +147%) and (−48%, +139%) for the two tested plants. In this study, the speciation profiles and estimation methodology for VOCs emissions from the chemical industry in China were both improved, which could benefit the accurate evaluation of the impacts of VOCs emissions.

Inhalation of airborne antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can lead to antimicrobial resistance and potential health risk. In modern society, increasing individuals stay more indoors, however, studies regarding the exposure to airborne ARGs in indoor environments and the associated risks remain limited. Here, we compared the variance of aerosol-associated ARGs, bacterial microbiomes, and their daily intake (DI) burden in dormitory, office, and outdoor environments in a university in Tianjin. The results indicated that compared to outdoor aerosols, indoors exhibited significantly higher absolute abundance of both ARG subtypes and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) (1–7 orders of magnitude), 16S rRNA genes (2–3 orders), and total culturable bacteria (1–3 orders). Furthermore, we observed that significantly different airborne bacterial communities are the major drivers contributing to the variance of aerosol-associated ARGs in indoor and outdoor aerosols. Notably, the high abundances of total bacteria, potential pathogenic genera, and ARGs (particularly those harbored by pathogens) in indoor and outdoor aerosols, especially in indoors, may pose an increased exposure risk via inhalation. The successful isolation of human pathogens such as Elizabethkingia anopheles, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Delftia lacustris resistant to the “last-resort” antibiotics carbapenems and polymyxin B from indoor aerosols further indicated an increased exposure risk in indoors. Together, this study highlights the potential risks associated with ARGs and their inhalation to human health in indoor environments.

In this study, the biochar (BC) supported Fe–Cu bimetallic stabilized by PVP (Fe–Cu/PVP/BC) were prepared and utilized to enhance the nitrate (NO₃⁻) removal and the selectivity toward nitrogen (N₂). Results showed the optimum Fe:Cu:BC ratio and the dosage of the BC (pyrolysis at 700 °C) supported Fe–Cu bimetallic stabilized by polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) (Fe–Cu/PVP/BC₇₀₀) were respectively 1:2:3 and 1 mg L⁻¹ with the selectivity toward N₂ of 31 %. This was mainly due to the synergy among Fe⁰, Cu⁰ and BC in the Fe–Cu/PVP/BC. The addition of Fe⁰ could reduce the NO₃⁻ through providing electron. The Cu⁰ and BC improved the selectivity of NO₃⁻ to N₂ through forming [Cu–NO₂⁻ₐdₛ] and adjusting redox potential. The addition of Fe–Cu/PVP/BC could supply electrons for denitrification and enhance the relative abundances of Azospira and Thauera related to denitrification to improve NO₃⁻ removal. This result was further confirmed by the variations of denitrifying functional genes (narG, nirK, nirS and nosZ). This research provided an effective method to improve NO₃⁻ removal during surface water treatment in constructed wetlands (CWs) by adding Fe–Cu/PVP/BC.