Male infertility may be caused by genetic and/or environmental factors that impair spermatogenesis and sperm maturation. High-altitude (HA) hypoxic environments represent one of the most serious challenges faced by humans that reside in these areas. To assess the influence of the plateau environment on semen parameters, 2,798 males, including 1,111 native Tibetans and 1,687 Han Chinese individuals living in the plains (HCILP) who underwent pre-pregnancy checkups, were enrolled in this study. The semen samples of males were evaluated to determine conventional sperm parameters, sperm morphology, and sperm movement. Reproductive endocrine hormones (REHs) were detected in 474 males, including 221 Tibetans and 253 HCILP. Due to recurrent abortions in partners, the DNA fragmentation index (DFI) of 133 native Tibetans and 393 HCILP individuals was further compared. Luteinizing hormone (LH) (4.94 ± 2.12 vs. 3.29 ± 1.43 U/L), prolactin (11.34 ± 3.87 vs. 8.97 ± 3.48 nmol/L), E2/T (0.22 ± 0.11 vs 0.11 ± 0.05), median total sperm motility (61.20% vs. 51.56%), and DFI (23.11% vs. 7.22%) were higher in males from plateau areas while median progressive motility (PR) (35.60% vs. 41.12%), total number of PR sperms (51.61 vs. 59.63 mil/ejaculate), percentage of normal form sperms (3.70% vs. 6.00%), curvilinear velocity (36.10 vs. 48.97 μm/s), straight-line (rectilinear) velocity (14.70 vs. 31.52 μm/s), estradiol (103.82 ± 45.92 vs. 146.01 ± 39.73 pmol/L), progesterone (0.29 ± 0.27 vs. 2.22 ± 0.84 nmol/L), testosterone (4.90 ± 1.96 vs. 14.36 ± 5.24 nmol/L), and testosterone secretion index (ratio of testosterone to LH) (33.45 ± 22.86 vs 145.78 ± 73.41) were lower than those in males from the plains. There was no difference in median total sperm number (157.76 vs. 151.65 mil/mL), sperm concentration (52.40 vs. 51.79 mil/mL), volume (3.10 vs. 3.10 mL), total normal form sperms (5.91 vs. 6.58 mil/ejaculate, p50), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels (4.13 ± 2.55 U/L vs 3.82 ± 2.35 U/L) between the two groups of males. The REH and sperm parameters of males from HA hypoxic environments were adaptively altered. Although the total number of PR sperm decreased and DFI increased, the Tibetan population that lives at HAs has been found to grown continuously and rapidly. These results supplement prior findings regarding the impact of HA on male reproductive function.

To determine the potential effects of pesticides on aquatic organisms inhabiting a realistic environment, we explored the characteristics and mechanisms of chemical tolerance in Scapholeberis kingi(Cladocera). We established a chemical-tolerant population via continuous exposure to pirimicarb, an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor, and examined the effects of pirimicarb concentration on the intrinsic growth rates (r) of tolerant cladocerans. We also explored the association between r and feeding rate and tested the involvement of antioxidant enzymes [peroxidase (PO) and superoxide dismutase] and AChE in pirimicarb sensitivity. S. kingi was continuously exposed to lethal and sublethal pirimicarb concentrations (0, 2.5, 5, and 10 µg/L) for 15 generations, and changes (half maximal effective concentration at 48 h, 48 h-EC₅₀) in chemical sensitivity were investigated. In the F14 generation, the sensitivity of the 10 µg/L group was three times lower than that of the control group, suggesting the acquisition of chemical tolerance. Moreover, r was significantly and negatively correlated with 48 h-EC₅₀, suggesting a fitness cost for tolerance. Surprisingly, there was no significant correlation between r and feeding rate. There was a weak but significant positive correlation between each enzyme activity and the 48 h-EC₅₀ value (p < 0.05). Thus, oxidative stress regulation and enhanced AChE may be involved in the acquisition of chemical tolerance in cladocerans. These findings will help elucidate the characteristics and mechanisms of chemical tolerance in aquatic organisms.

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental contaminant, which is potentially toxic. It is well known that Cd can accumulate in the liver and kidney and cause serious damage. However, few studies have investigated the mechanism of intestinal damage induced by Cd in swine. Here, we established Cd poisoning models in vivo and in vitro to explore the mechanism of intestinal injury induced by Cd in swine. The morphology of intestinal tissue cells was observed by TUNEL staining and electron microscopy, and the morphology of IPEC-J2 cells was observed by flow cytometry, Hoechst staining, and MDC staining. Cell morphological observations revealed that Cd treatment induced ileal apoptosis and autophagy. The effects of Cd on the PI3K/Akt pathway, as well as on apoptosis and autophagy-related protein expression in intestinal cells, were analyzed by western blot (WB) and the expression of mRNA was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The results showed that Cd induced autophagy by increasing the levels of autophagy markers Beclin1, Autophagy-associated gene 5 (ATG5), Autophagy-associated gene 16 (ATG16), and Microtubule-associated protein light chains 3–2 (LC3-II), and by reducing the expression levels of Mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (mTOR) and Microtubule-associated protein light chains 3–1 (LC3-I). Cell apoptosis was induced by increasing the expression of apoptosis markers Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax), Cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 9 (Caspase9), cleaved Caspase9, Cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 3 (Caspase3), and cleaved Caspase3, and by reducing the expression of B cell lymphoma/leukemia 2 (Bcl-2). At the same time, Cd decreased the expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), and their phosphorylation. We treated IPEC-J2 cells with the PI3K activator 740Y-P and analyzed the morphological changes as well as autophagy and apoptosis-related gene expression. The results showed that 740Y-P could reduce apoptosis and autophagy induced by Cd. In conclusion, our findings suggest that Cd induces intestinal apoptosis and autophagy in swine by inactivating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

In recent days, the expansion of e-waste disposal should be increased due to environmental hazards, contamination of groundwater, an unconcerned consequence on marine life, human health, and decrease in the fertility of the soil. The majority of the developing countries are facing massive issues in implementing sustainable e-waste management schemes. The unofficial e-waste management schemes in the region of Chandigarh, India, have become a serious dispute for the government and several stakeholders due to human health and environmental effects. To overcome such shortcomings, this paper proposes an efficient e-waste management system using fuzzy c-means based adaptive optimal neural network. Here fuzzy c-means clustering approach is employed to classify the household e-wastes and adaptive optimal neural network is employed to analyze the relative weights as well as the grading of the obstructions. Here, the financial and economic limitations are regarded as the most important obstructions of e-waste formalization. The sensitivity analysis is carried out to verify the structure robustness and address the bias effect. This study assists the lawmakers to create organized strategies for an efficient e-waste management system. The sustainable set of e-waste management system advances the e-waste management in India quality thereby raising the recycling rate to 40%.

Feathers, burdensome waste from the poultry industry, can be a cheap source of keratin, a protein with excellent physicochemical, biological, and mechanical properties. Acid and alkaline hydrolyses are usually adopted for isolation of keratin from its natural resources. This study aimed at assessing the statistically significant effect of input variables in the alkaline hydrolysis of keratin from chicken feathers on the process yield and on the molecular weight of peptides obtained. The effect of the volume ratio of 1M NaOH to the feathers’ mass, the hydrolysis time, and the shaking speed of the reaction mixture on the process yield were analyzed. The use of statistical analysis at the design step of experiment allowed reducing the trial number from 27 to 9. Among the input variables analyzed, only the volume ratio of 1M NaOH to the feathers’ mass had a significant effect on the process yield, while none of them significantly affected the molecular weight of the peptides obtained. All hydrolysates were dominated by two peptides’ fractions, with molecular weights of ca. 130 and 250 kDa, and mixture of many peptides of weight close to 10 kDa and smaller. Alkaline hydrolysis of feather keratin yielded protein hydrolysates soluble over a wide pH range.

Intercropping or assistant endophytes promote phytoremediation capacities of hyperaccumulators and enhance their tolerance to heavy metal (HM) stress. Findings from a previous study showed that intercropping the hyperaccumulator Sonchus asper (L.) Hill grown in HM-contaminated soils with maize improved the remediating properties and indicated an excluder-to-hyperaccumulator switched mode of action towards lead. In the current study, RNA-Seq analysis was conducted on Sonchus roots grown under intercropping or monoculture systems to explore the molecular events underlying this shift in lead sequestering strategy. The findings showed that intercropping only slightly affects S. asper transcriptome but significantly affects expression of root-associated microbial genomes. Further, intercropping triggers significant reshaping of endophytic communities associated with a ‘root-to-shoot’ transition of lead sequestration and improved phytoremediation capacities of S. asper. These findings indicate that accumulator activities of a weed are partially attributed to the root-associated microbiota, and a complex network of plant–microbe-plant interactions shapes the phytoremediation potential of S. asper. Analysis showed that intercropping may significantly change the structure of root-associated communities resulting in novel remediation properties, thus providing a basis for improving phytoremediation practices to restore contaminated soils.

It remains unknown whether exposure to ambient air pollution can be a mediator linking socioeconomic indicator to health outcome. The present study aims to examine the mediation effect of PM₂.₅ air pollution on the association between urban–rural division and the incidence (mortality) rate of male lung cancer. We performed a nationwide analysis in 353 counties (districts) of China between 2006 and 2015. A structural equation model was developed to determine the mediation effect of exposure to PM₂.₅. We also tested whether the findings of the mediation effect of exposure to PM₂.₅ are sensitive to the controls of smoking factors and additional air pollutant, and PM₂.₅ exposures with different lag structures. According to the results, we found that exposure to PM₂.₅ significantly mediated the association between urban–rural division and the incidence rate of male lung cancer. Specifically, there were significant associations between urban–rural division, exposure to PM₂.₅, and the incidence rate of male lung cancer, with PM₂.₅ exposure accounting for 29.80% of total urban–rural difference in incidence rates of male lung cancer. A similar pattern of results was observed for the mortality rate of male lung cancer. That is, there was a significant mediation effect by PM₂.₅ on the association of the mortality rate with urban–rural division. The findings of exposure to PM₂.₅ as a mediator were robust in the three sensitivity analyses. In conclusion, urban–rural difference in exposures to PM₂.₅ may be a potential factor that contributes to urban–rural disparity in male lung cancer diseases in China. The findings inform that air pollution management and control may be effective measures to alleviate the great difference in male lung cancer diseases between urban and rural areas in China.

An updated systematic review was conducted to assessing on the association between indoor air pollution caused by household energy consumption and childhood pneumonia in low- and middle-income countries. We performed a meta-analysis from the electronic databases of PubMed, Cochrane library, Web of Science, EMBASE. Studies were selected when they reported childhood pneumonia or ALRI in relation to indoor air pollution resulted from solid fuel. Studies must provide results on exposure prevalence of children aged below 5 years from Asia or Africa. We devoted ourselves to identifying randomized controlled experiments and observational epidemiological researches, which revealed the relation between household usage of solid fuel and childhood pneumonia. Among 1954 articles, 276 were reviewed thoroughly and 16 conduced to such a meta-analysis. It was found that there is a significant relationship between the solid fuel combustion and increasing risk of childhood pneumonia (OR = 1.66, 95%CI 1.36–2.02). The summary odds ratios from biomass use and mixed fuel use were, respectively, 1.86 (95%CI 1.15–3.02) and 1.58 (95%CI 1.38–1.81), with substantial between study heterogeneity (I² = 87.2% and 29.2%, respectively). According to the subgroup analysis along with the meta-regression analysis, the risk of using solid fuel in Asian regions is higher than that in African regions. Studies based on non-hospital participates (I² = 49.5%) may also a source of heterogeneity. We found that indoor air pollution generated by the usage of solid fuel might be a significant risk factor for pneumonia in children and suggested improving the indoor air quality by promoting cleaner fuel will be important in undeveloped countries.

Aryl-iodonium salts are utilized as photoacid generators (PAGs) in semiconductor photolithography and other photo-initiated manufacturing processes. Despite their utilization and suspected toxicity, the fate of these compounds within the perimeter of semiconductor fabrication plants is inadequately understood; the identification of photolithography products is still needed for a comprehensive environmental impact assessment. This study investigated the photolytic transformation of a representative iodonium PAG cation, bis-(4-tert-butyl phenyl)-iodonium, under conditions simulating industrial photolithography. Under 254-nm irradiation, bis-(4-tert-butyl phenyl)-iodonium reacted rapidly with a photolytic half-life of 39.2 s; different counter ions or solvents did not impact the degradation kinetics. At a semiconductor photolithography-relevant UV dosage of 25 mJ cm⁻², 33% of bis-(4-tert-butyl phenyl)-iodonium was estimated to be transformed. Six aromatic/hydrophobic photoproducts were identified utilizing a combination of HPLC–DAD and GC–MS. Selected photoproducts such as tert-butyl benzene and tert-butyl iodobenzene had remarkably higher acute microbial toxicity toward bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri compared to bis-(4-tert-butyl phenyl)-iodonium. Octanol–water partition coefficients estimated using the Estimation Programs Interface Suite™ indicated that the photoproducts were substantially more hydrophobic than the parent compound. The results fill a critical data gap hindering the environmental impact assessment of iodonium PAGs and provide clues on potential management strategies for both iodonium compounds and their photoproducts.