Enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertilizers (EENFs), including nitrification inhibitors (NIs) and slow-release fertilizer (SRF), are considered promising approaches for mitigating nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions while improving crop yield. This study investigated the combined application of EENFs with improved water and fertilizer management in an intensively irrigated spring maize rotation over five years in Northwestern China. High-frequency measurements of N₂O fluxes were made throughout each year (both during crop growth and the fallow season) in five treatments: no N fertilizer as a control (CK), conventional N fertilization and irrigation (Con), optimum N fertilization and irrigation (Opt, 33% reduction in N fertilizer and 25% reduction of irrigation water), optimum N fertilization and irrigation with nitrification inhibitor (Opt + NI), and optimum N fertilization and irrigation with slow-release fertilizer (Opt-SRF). Annual mean cumulative N₂O emissions reached 0.31 ± 0.07, 3.66 ± 0.19, 1.87 ± 0.16, 1.23 ± 0.13, and 1.61 ± 0.16 kg N₂O–N ha⁻¹ for CK, Con, Opt, Opt + NI, and Opt-SRF, respectively, with annual mean nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of 36, 54, 61 and 59% for Con, Opt, Opt + NI, and Opt-SRF, respectively. The Opt, Opt + NI and Opt-SRF treatments significantly reduced cumulative N₂O emissions by 49%, 66%, and 56% (P < 0.05), respectively, and increased NUE by 51%, 70%, and 66% (P < 0.05), respectively, relative to Con. However, mean above-ground N uptake (288–309 kg N ha⁻¹) and mean grain yields (12.7–12.8 Mg ha⁻¹) did not differ significantly between the Con, Opt, Opt + NI, and Opt-SRF treatments during the five-year study. High N₂O emissions mainly occurred within a few days of fertilization with irrigation, which could have been produced by microbially-mediated nitrifier or nitrifier denitrification processes. The fallow seasons had significantly lower cumulative N₂O emissions, which were mainly attributed to the low temperature, low N inputs of crop residues, and low soil moisture conditions. Our study clearly indicated that the combined application of EENFs with optimum N fertilization and irrigation management can reduce environmental impacts while maintaining high crop yields in dryland regions such as Northwest China.

Bats are poorly understood as a reservoir of multidrug-resistant strains; therefore, the aim of this study was to determine molecular characterization of multidrug-resistant Enterococcus strains isolated from bat species from Poland. A multi-stage analysis based on targeted isolation of drug-resistant strains (selective media with tetracycline, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, streptomycin, and vancomycin), determination of the phenotypic profile of drug-susceptibility using the disc diffusion method, and amplification of DNA fragments surrounding rare restriction sites (ADSRRS-fingerprinting) was used for the isolation and differentiation of strains. The applied strategy finally allowed identification of E. faecalis resistant to at least one antimicrobial in 47.2% of the single-animal group and in 46.9% of the pooled samples of bat’s guano. Out of the 36 distinct isolates, 69% met the criteria of multi-drug resistance, with a dominant combination of resistance to tetracycline, erythromycin, and rifampicin. Simultaneously, 41.6% of the strains were high-level aminoglycoside resistant (HLAR). In most strains, phenotypic resistance was reflected in the presence of at least one gene encoding resistance to a given drug. Moreover, our research results show that some genes were detected simultaneously in the same strain statistically significantly more frequently. This may confirm that the spread of some genes (tetM and ermB or aph (3′)-IIIa as well as gelE and aac (6′)-Ie-aph (2″)-Ia or ant (6)-Ia) is associated with their common occurrence on the same mobile genetic element.To our knowledge, this is the first analysis of multidrug-resistance among E. faecalis isolated from bats. Our research demonstrates that the One Health concept is not associated exclusively with food-producing animals and humans, but other species of wildlife animals should be covered by monitoring programs as well.We confirmed for the first time that bats are an important reservoir of multi-resistant E. faecalis strains and could have a great impact on environmental resistance.

Indigenous microbial consortia are closely associated with soil inherent components including nutrients and minerals. Although indigenous microbial consortia present great prospects for bioremediation of vanadate [V(V)] contaminated soil, influences of some key components, such as available phosphorus (AP), on V(V) biodetoxification are poorly understood. In this study, surface soils sampled from five representative vanadium smelter sites were employed as inocula without pretreatment. V(V) removal efficiency ranged from 81.7 ± 1.4% to 99.5 ± 0.2% in batch experiment, and the maximum V(V) removal rates were positively correlated with AP contents. Long-term V(V) removal was achieved under fluctuant hydrodynamic and hydrochemical conditions in column experiment. Geobacter and Bacillus, which were found in both original soils and bioreactors, catalytically reduced V(V) to insoluble tetravalent vanadium. Phosphate-solubilizing bacterium affiliated to Gemmatimonadaceae were also identified abundantly. Microbial functional characterization indicated the enrichment of phosphate ABC transporter, which could accelerate V(V) transfer into intercellular space for efficient reduction due to the structural similarity of V(V) and phosphate. This study reveals the critical role of AP in microbial V(V) decontamination and provides promising strategy for in situ bioremediation of V(V) polluted soil.

Dietary exposure to chemicals alters the diversity of microbiome communities and can lead to pathophysiological changes in the gastrointestinal system. The organochlorine pesticide dieldrin is a persistent environmental contaminant that bioaccumulates in fatty tissue of aquatic organisms. The objectives of this study were to determine whether environmentally-relevant doses of dieldrin altered gastrointestinal morphology and the microbiome of zebrafish. Adult zebrafish at ∼4 months of age were fed a measured amount of feed containing either a solvent control or one of two doses of dieldrin (measured at 16, and 163.5 ng/g dry weight) for 4 months. Dieldrin body burden levels in zebrafish after four-month exposure were 0 (control), 11.47 ± 1.13 ng/g (low dose) and 18.32 ± 1.32 ng/g (high dose) wet weight [mean ± std]. Extensive histopathology at the whole organism level revealed that dieldrin exposure did not induce notable tissue pathology, including the gastrointestinal tract. A repeated measure mixed model analysis revealed that, while fish gained weight over time, there were no dieldrin-specific effects on body weight. Fecal content was collected from the gastrointestinal tract of males and 16S rRNA gene sequencing conducted. Dieldrin at a measured feed dose of 16 ng/g reduced the abundance of Firmicutes, a phylum involved in energy resorption. At the level of class, there was a decrease in abundance of Clostridia and Betaproteobacteria, and an increase in Verrucomicrobiae species. We used a computational approach called predicted relative metabolomic turnover (PRMT) to predict how a shift in microbial community composition affects exchange of metabolites. Dieldrin was predicted to affect metabolic turnover of uroporphyrinogen I and coproporphyrinogen I [enzyme]−cysteine, hydrogen selenide, selenite, and methyl-selenic acid in the fish gastrointestinal system. These pathways are related to bacterial heme biosynthesis and selenium metabolism. Our study demonstrates that dietary exposures to dieldrin can alter microbiota composition over 4 months, however the long-term consequences of such impacts are not well understood.

Particulate pollution is closely related to public health. PM₁ (particles with an aerodynamic size not larger than 1 μm) is much more harmful than particles with larger sizes because it goes deeper into the body and hence arouses social concern. However, the sparse and unevenly distributed ground-based observations limit the understanding of spatio-temporal distributions of PM₁ in China. In this study, hourly PM₁ concentrations in central and eastern China were retrieved based on a random forest model using hourly aerosol optical depth (AOD) from Himawari-8, meteorological and geographic information as inputs. Here the spatiotemporal autocorrelation of PM₁ was also considered in the model. Experimental results indicate that although the performance of the proposed model shows diurnal, seasonal and spatial variations, it is relatively better than others, with a determination coefficient (R²) of 0.83 calculated based on the 10-fold cross validation method. Geographical map implies that PM₁ pollution level in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei is much higher than in other regions, with the mean value of ∼55 μg/m³. Based on the exposure analysis, we found about 75% of the population lives in an environment with PM₁ higher than 35 μg/m³ in the whole study area. The retrieval dataset in this study is of great significance for further exploring the impact of PM₁ on public health.

Complex air pollutant sources and distinct meteorological conditions resulted in unique wintertime haze pollution in the Harbin-Changchun (HC) metropolitan area, China’s only national-level city cluster located in the severe cold climate region. In this study, field observation and air quality modeling were combined to investigate fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) pollution during a six-month long heating season in HC’s central city (Harbin). The model significantly underpredicted PM₂.₅ and organic carbon (by up to ∼230 μg/m³ and 110 μgC/m³, respectively, in terms of daily average) when levoglucosan concentrations were above 0.5 μg/m³. Based on a synthesis of levoglucosan concentrations and fire counts, the large gaps were attributed to underestimation of open burning emissions by the model. However, the model tended to overpredict elemental carbon (more significantly at higher NO₂), likely pointing to an overestimation of vehicle emissions. With increasing levoglucosan, the difference between observed and simulated nitrate (nitrateₒbₛ ‒ nitrateₘₒd, i.e., Δnitrate) showed a transition from negative to positive values. The positive Δnitrate were attributed to underprediction of the open-burning related nitrate, whereas the negative Δnitrate were likely caused by overprediction of nitrate from other sources (presumably vehicle emissions). The dependence of Δnitrate on levoglucosan indicated that with stronger impact of open burning, the overprediction effect was gradually offset and finally overwhelmed. Influence of open burning on sulfate formation was evident as well, but less apparent compared to nitrate. This study illustrates how the uncertainties in open burning emissions will influence PM₂.₅ simulation, on not only primary components but also secondary species.

The number of deaths from air pollution worldwide is estimated at 8.8 million per year, more than the number of deaths from smoking. Air pollutants, such as PM₂.₅, are known to induce respiratory and cardiovascular diseases by inducing oxidative stress. Thioredoxin (Trx) is a 12-kDa endogenous protein that exerts antioxidant activity by promoting dithiol disulfide exchange reactions. We previously synthesized human serum albumin-fused thioredoxin (HSA-Trx), which has a longer half-life in plasma compared with Trx, and demonstrated its efficacy against various diseases including respiratory diseases. Here, we examined the effect of HSA-Trx on urban aerosol-induced lung injury in mice. Urban aerosols induced lung injury and inflammatory responses in ICR mice, but intravenous administration of HSA-Trx markedly inhibited these responses. We next analyzed reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in murine lungs using an in vivo imaging system. The results show that intratracheal administration of urban aerosols induced ROS production that was inhibited by intravenously administered HSA-Trx. Finally, we found that HSA-Trx inhibited the urban aerosol-induced increase in levels of neutrophilic extracellular trap (NET) indicators (i.e., double-stranded DNA, citrullinated histone H3, and neutrophil elastase) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Together, these findings suggest that HSA-Trx prevents urban aerosol-induced acute lung injury by suppressing ROS production and neutrophilic inflammation. Thus, HSA-Trx may be a potential candidate drug for preventing the onset or exacerbation of lung injury caused by air pollutants.

One of the causes of the global decline of amphibians is agricultural activity, responsible for causing habitat fragmentation and bringing a range of agrochemicals and fertilizers in the environment, compounds with a potential disrupting effect on non-target organisms, such as frogs. Exposure to these compounds has numerous harmful effects on the testes of these animals, which can compromise reproduction and, consequently, the maintenance of their communities. In this context, we compared the morphology and morphometry of the testes of three species of neotropical anurans (Physalaemus cuvieri, Dendropsophus minutus, and Boana albopunctata) from an agricultural area and a conservation unit. Histologically, the testicular morphology of the species was similar for both environments; however, morphometrically, there was a difference in the measured testicular parameters (locular area and area of spermatogenic cysts). Physalaemus cuvieri presented higher averages of locular and spermatogonial area in the agricultural environment, whereas the area occupied by the spermatozoa was smaller. Additionally, the testicular pigmentation, which is only present in this species, was greater in animal from the agricultural area. In D. minutus, the locular, spermatogonial, and sperm areas showed lower values in the agricultural area, whereas in B. albopunctata, the opposite pattern was found, with the area of the locule, spermatocytes, and spermatozoids being higher. Agricultural activities influence the testicular metric parameters in different species, and our results suggest that D. minutus is most sensitive to anthropic pressures. The least sensitive species is B. albopunctata. We highlight the importance of evaluating different species, since each species responds differently to agricultural activities.

Despite the widely-known effects of air pollution, pollutants exposure surrounding pregnancy and the risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in newborns remains controversial. The purpose of our study was to carry out a systematic review and meta-analyses of the risk of ASD in newborns following air pollution exposure during the perinatal period (preconception to second year of life). The PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase and ScienceDirect databases were searched for articles, published up to July 2020, with the keywords “air pollution” and “autism”. Three models were used for each meta-analysis: a global model based on all risks listed in included articles, a pessimistic model based on less favorable data only, and an optimistic model based on the most favorable data only. 28 studies corresponding to a total of 758 997 newborns were included (47190 ASD and 703980 controls). Maternal exposure to all pollutants was associated with an increased risk of ASD in newborns by 3.9% using the global model and by 12.3% using the optimistic model, while the pessimistic model found no change. Each increase of 5 μg/m³ in particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM2.5) was associated with an increased risk of ASD in newborns, regardless of the model used (global +7%, pessimistic +5%, optimistic +15%). This risk increased during preconception (global +17%), during pregnancy (global +5%, and optimistic +16%), and during the postnatal period (global +11% and optimistic +16%). Evidence levels were poor for other pollutants (PM10, NOx, O3, metals, solvents, styrene, PAHs, pesticides). PM2.5 was associated with a greater risk than PM10 (coefficient 0.20, 95CI −0.02 to 0.42), NOx (0.29, 0.08 to 0.50) or solvents (0.24, 0.04 to 0.44). All models revealed that exposure to pollutants, notably PM2.5 during pregnancy, was associated with an increased risk of ASD in newborns. Pregnancy and postnatal periods seem to be the most at-risk periods.

Applying mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizers introduces a considerable input of the toxic heavy metal cadmium (Cd) into arable soils. This study investigates the fate of P fertilizer derived Cd (Cddff) in soil-wheat systems using a novel combination of enriched stable Cd isotope mass balances, sequential extractions, and Bayesian isotope mixing models. We applied an enriched ¹¹¹Cd labeled mineral P fertilizer to arable soils from two long-term field trials with distinct soil properties (a strongly acidic pH and a neutral pH) and distinct past mineral P fertilizer application rates. We then cultivated wheat in a pot trial on these two soils. In the neutral soil, Cd concentrations in the soil and the wheat increased with increasing past mineral P fertilizer application rates. This was not the case in the strongly acidic soil. Less than 2.3% of freshly applied Cddff was taken up by the whole wheat plant. Most of the Cddff remained in the soil and was predominantly (>95% of freshly applied Cddff) partitioned into the easily mobilizable acetic acid soluble fraction (F1) and the potentially mobile reducible fraction (F2). Soil pH was the determining factor for the partitioning of Cddff into F1, as revealed through a recovery of about 40% of freshly applied Cddff in F1 in the neutral pH soil compared with about 60% in the strongly acidic soil. Isotope mixing models showed that F1 was the predominant source of Cd for wheat on both soils and that it contributed to over 80% of the Cd that was taken up by wheat. By tracing the fate of Cddff in entire soil-plant systems using different isotope source tracing approaches, we show that the majority of Cddff remains mobilizable and is potentially plant available in the subsequent crop cycle.