Environmental chemical exposures have been implicated as risk factors for the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD). Bisphenol S (BPS), widely used in multitudinous consumer products, could disrupt lipid metabolism in the liver. This study aimed at examining the hypothesis that long-term exposure to BPS promotes the development of liver fibrosis and inflammation by means of the application of a semi-static exposure experiment that exposed zebrafish to 1, 10, and 100 μg/L BPS from 3 h post fertilization to 120 day post fertilization. Results showed that the 120-d BPS exposure elevated plasma aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities, increased triacylglycerol (TAG) and total cholesterol levels in male liver, and even induced hepatic apoptosis and fibrosis. Hepatic lipid accumulation observed in the 30-d BPS-exposed zebrafish was recovered after a 90-d depuration phase, thereby indicating that long-term BPS exposure promotes the progression of simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Furthermore, BPS exposure for 120-d promoted the synthesis of TAG and lipotoxic free fatty acids by elevating the transcription of srebp1, acc, fasn, and elovl6, induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress with increasing expression levels of unfolded protein response (UPR) genes (perk, hsp5, atf4a, and ddit3), and then stimulated the expression of two key autophagy genes (atg3 and lc3) and inflammatory genes (il1b and tnfα). It is indicated that BPS can induce the development of steatohepatitis via the activation of the PERK-ATF4a pathway of the UPR. Data gathered suggest that environmental pollutants-induced ER stress with the activation of UPR can potentially trigger the NAFLD development in males. Overall, our study provided new sights into understanding of the adverse health effects of metabolism disrupting chemicals.

Based on the panel data of 63 counties of Zhejiang Province from 2003 to 2017, this paper studied the total-factor substitution efficiency of chemical fertilizer input and its spatial-temporal evolution by using the Super-efficiency DEA(Data Envelopment Analysis) model, locational Gini coefficient and Theil index. And the driving factors of the total-factor substitution efficiency of chemical fertilizer input were analyzed by constructing the Panel Tobit model. The results showed that: the comprehensive efficiency of total-factor substitution for chemical fertilizer input in Zhejiang Province is low, and technical efficiency is the main drive for promoting comprehensive efficiency; Gini coefficient is below the warning line of 0.4, and the difference of substitution efficiency, relatively small, mainly comes from the contribution within the region, and the difference ratio of contribution by the Southwestern Zhejiang is rapidly increasing. In detail, financial investment in agriculture serve as the greatest the driving force, and government chemical fertilizer input subsidies have a significantly negative effect. Therefore, we should improve the subsidy policy system, increase government investment in agricultural infrastructure, adjust the structure of agroindustry and improve the income of rural residents under the premise of reducing the fertilizer input intensity.

Photocatalysis is a promising method to eliminate hexavalent uranium (U(Ⅵ)) and recycle it from wastewater. However, most of researched photocatalysts are metal-contained, inactive in visible light, and inconvenient to recycle, which unfortunately impedes the further utilization of photocatalytic technology in U(Ⅵ) pollution treatment. Herein, g-C₃N₄ isotype heterojunction with interpenetrated tri-s-triazine structure (ipCN) was prepared by inserting urea into the interlayer of tri-s-triazine planes of thiourea-derived g-C₃N₄ and in-site thermal treating. The synthesized nanocomposites were used to convert soluble U(Ⅵ) ions into U(Ⅳ) sediment under visible light. Experimental and characterization results reveal that ipCN possess larger BET surface area, more negative-charged surface, higher U(Ⅵ) adsorption capability, and more efficient mass diffusion and charges transfer properties. With these excellent characteristics, nearly 98% U(Ⅵ) could be removed within 20 min over ipCN₅:₁ and 92% photoreduction efficiency could also be kept after 7 cycle uses, which were equal to or even superior than most reported metal-based photocatalysts. It is also proven that the configuration of U(Ⅵ) and photogenerated ·O₂⁻ play a significant role in the photocatalytic U(Ⅵ) reduction process, with (UO₂)ₓ(OH)y²ˣ⁻ʸ are more prone to be adsorbed and the photoinduced process of ·O₂⁻ will steal electrons from photocatalysts. Furthermore, with the self-generated ·O₂⁻ and H₂O₂, a green and facile regeneration process of photocatalysts was proposed This work provides a promising scheme to extract U(Ⅵ) from the perspectives of photocatalysts exploitation, photocatalytic reduction, and photocatalysts regeneration, which is meaningful for the sustainable U(Ⅵ) resource recovery and U(Ⅵ) pollution purification.

The automatic identification (location, segmentation, and classification) by UAV- based optical imaging of spills of transparent floating Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) benefits the on-site response to spill incidents, but it is also challenging. With a focus on the on-site optical imaging of HNS, this study explores the potential of single spectral imaging for HNS identification using the Faster R-CNN architecture. Images at 365 nm (narrow UV band), blue channel images (visible broadband of ∼400–600 nm), and RGB images of typical HNS (benzene, xylene, and palm oil) in different scenarios were studied with and without Faster R-CNN. Faster R-CNN was applied to locate and classify the HNS spills. The segmentation using Faster R-CNN-based methods and the original masking methods, including Otsu, Max entropy, and the local fuzzy thresholding method (LFTM), were investigated to explore the optimal wavelength and corresponding image processing method for the optical imaging of HNS. We also compared the classification and segmentation results of this study with our previously published studies on multispectral and whole spectral images. The results demonstrated that single spectral UV imaging at 365 nm combined with Faster R-CNN has great potential for the automatic identification of transparent HNS floating on the surface of the water. RGB images and images using Faster R-CNN in the blue channel are capable of HNS segmentation.

Lead is a dangerous pollutant that accumulates in plant tissues and causes serious damage to plant cell macromolecules. However, plants have evolved numerous tolerance mechanisms, including ectomycorrhizae, to maintain cellular Pb²⁺ at the lowest possible level. When those mechanisms are successful, Pb-exposed plants should exhibit no negative phenotypic changes. However, actual molecular-level plant adjustments at Pb concentrations below the toxicity threshold are largely unknown, similar to the molecular effects of protective ectomycorrhizal root colonization. In this study, we (1) determined the molecular adjustments in plants exposed to Pb but without visible Pb stress symptoms and (2) examined ectomycorrhizal root colonization (the role of fungal biofilters) with respect to molecular-level Pb perception by plant root cells. Biochemical, microscopic, proteomic and metabolomic studies were performed to determine the molecular status of Populus × canescens microcuttings grown in agar medium enriched with 0.75 mM Pb(NO₃)₂. Noninoculated and inoculated with Paxillus involutus poplars were analyzed in two independent comparisons of the corresponding control and Pb treatments. After six weeks of growth, Pb caused no negative phenotypic effects. No Pb-exposed poplar showed impaired growth or decreased leaf pigmentation. Proteomic signals of intensified Pb sequestration in the plant cell wall and vacuoles, cytoskeleton modifications, H⁺-ATPase-14-3-3 interactions, and stabilization of protein turnover in chronically Pb-exposed plants co-occurred with high metabolomic stability. There were no differentially abundant root primary metabolites; only a few differentially abundant root secondary metabolites and no Pb-triggered ROS burst were observed. Our results strongly suggest that proteome adjustments targeting Pb sequestration and ROS scavenging, which are considerably similar but less intensive in ectomycorrhizal poplars than in control poplars due to the P. involutus biofilter (as confirmed in a mineral study), were responsible for the metabolomic and phenotypic stability of poplars exposed to chronic mild Pb stress.

Plastic debris has become a major threat to the marine environment and wildlife. Sea turtles are particularly vulnerable, and are known to ingest plastic debris globally; however, information from Greek waters is still absent. In this study, 36 stranded dead loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) were collected from the Greek coastline area, and their gastrointestinal content was analysed for ingested plastic debris. Twenty-six individuals (72%) were found to have ingested plastic, with an average of 7.94 ± 3.85 (SE) plastic items per turtle. In total, 286 plastic items were counted and categorised by size, shape, colour, and polymer type. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry revealed that polypropylene and polyethylene were the dominant polymer plastic types found. Results indicated a variation in plastic ingestion amongst life stages of the loggerhead specimens. This study provides evidence of plastic ingestion by loggerhead turtles in Greek waters.

There is limited research on the ingestion of microplastic particles (MPs) by fish from the southern part of the Mediterranean Sea. This study provides the occurrence of small MPs (≤3 μm) in the gastrointestinal tract and muscle of adult benthopelagic fish Serranus scriba (L.1758), caught along Tunisian coasts. MPs were extracted from selected tissues using a potassium hydroxide digestion method (KOH 10%) and then quantified, and their chemical structure was characterized through Raman microspectroscopy. The results highlighted that MPs were present in all samples. The average abundance of MPs per gram of fish tissue identified through successive filters of 3 μm, 1.2 μm, and 0.45 μm differed significantly among the sites. The properties of the MPs extracted indicated that polyethylene-vinyl-acetate (PEVA: 33.45%), high density polyethylene (HD-PE: 17.33%), and fragments were the most abundant plastic types and shape found, respectively. Among those, most MPs were found at a size class of 3–1.2 μm (∼60%), especially in the muscle, suggesting a high transfer of MPs into the human diet. Our field work also aimed to explore the effects observed in the gastrointestinal tract with a battery of biomarkers assessing oxidative stress and neurotoxicity. The preliminary results of this study showed the existence of a link between small MPs, sites, and their associated urban activities and induced oxidative stress. However, more detailed studies are required to evaluate the transfer of MPs into tissues and the potential impacts of this transfer on human health.

Recently, sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) have been studied extensively for the removal of pollutants, however, few researches focused on the activation of bisulfite by nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI), especially, surface reaction mechanism and sulfate radical-mediated degradation pathway have not been elucidated in detail. In this study, influencing factors, the kinetics, transformation pathway and mechanism of triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) degradation in the nZVI/bisulfite system were systematically discussed. Compared with Fe²⁺, nZVI was found to be a more efficient and long-lasting activator of bisulfite via gradual generation of iron ions. The optimal degradation efficiency of TPHP (98.2%) and pseudo-first-order kinetics rate constant (kₒbₛ = 0.2784 min⁻¹) were obtained by using 0.5 mM nZVI and 2.0 mM bisulfite at the initial pH 3.0. Both Cl⁻ and NO₃⁻ inhibited the degradation of TPHP and the inhibitory effect of Cl⁻ was stronger than that of NO₃⁻ due to the higher reaction rate of Cl⁻ with •SO₄⁻. Furthermore, SEM, XRD and XPS characterization revealed that a thin passivation layer (Fe₂O₃, Fe₃O₄, FeOOH) deposited on the surface of fresh nZVI and a few iron corrosion products generated and assembled on the surface of reacted nZVI. Radical quenching tests identified that •SO₄⁻ was the dominant reactive oxidative species (ROS) for TPHP removal. Based on HRMS analysis, six degradation products were determined and a sulfate radical-mediated degradation pathway was proposed. In a word, this study revealed that the nZVI/bisulfite system had a great potential for the TPHP elimination in waterbody.

Microplastics (MPs) are new persistent organic pollutants derived from the degradation of plastics. They can accumulate along the food chain and enter the human body through oral administration, inhalation and dermal exposure. To identify the impact of Polystyrene (PS) MPs on the cardiovascular system and the underlying toxicological mechanism, 32 male Wister rats were divided into control group and three model groups, which were exposed to 0.5 μm PS MPs at 0.5, 5 and 50 mg/L for 90 days. Our results suggested that PS MPs exposure increased Troponin I and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) levels in serum, resulted in structure damage and apoptosis of myocardium, and led to collagen proliferation of heart. Moreover, PS MPs could induce oxidative stress and thus activate fibrosis-related Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. These results suggested that PS MPs could lead to cardiovascular toxicity by inducing cardiac fibrosis via activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway and myocardium apoptosis triggered by oxidative stress. The present study provided some novelty evidence to elucidate the potential mechanism of cardiovascular toxicity induced by PS MPs.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are a class of emerging contaminants commonly detected in environmental waters worldwide. Although reports about their detection in aquatic environments are increasing, limited studies show their effects on holometabolous insects. In this study, acute and chronic exposure to naproxen (0.02, 41, 82, 164, 382, 656, and 1312 mg L⁻¹) and propylparaben (0.02, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500, and 1000 mg L⁻¹) were evaluated in Aedes aegypti L. Acute exposure to naproxen (≥0.02 mg L⁻¹) and propylparaben (≥0.02 mg L⁻¹) reduced egg eclosion. Propylparaben (≥250 mg L⁻¹) caused significant larval mortality but naproxen did not even at the highest experimental concentration used. LC₅₀ for naproxen and propylparaben in larvae were 1100 mg L⁻¹ and 182.6 mg L⁻¹, respectively. Naproxen (≥0.02 mg L⁻¹) and propylparaben (≥0.02 mg L⁻¹) reduced pupation. Emergence was also reduced by naproxen (≥164 mg L⁻¹) and propylparaben (≥0.02 mg L⁻¹). The fecundity of females was significantly reduced due to chronic exposure to naproxen (≥0.02 mg L⁻¹). There was also a reduction in the fecundity of females due to chronic propylparaben exposure but it was statistically insignificant in the concentrations used. In the F1 generation eggs, only 100 mg L⁻¹ propylparaben reduced eclosion. Eclosion and larval survival were sensitive to acute exposure, particularly to propylparaben. The reduced pupation and emergence indicated a delay in the progression of the life cycle. Chronic exposure also indicated a reduction in fecundity. F1 eggs exhibited tolerance to the negative effect of subsequent exposure. Our findings suggest that propylparaben can affect Ae. aegypti more negatively than naproxen.