Chicken poultry industry produces a vast amount of feather waste and is often disposed into landfills, creating environmental pollution. Therefore, we explored the valorization of chicken feather waste into lipids and keratinous sludge biomass. This study demonstrates the successful utilization of keratinous sludge biomass as a unique precursor for the facile preparation of novel keratinous sludge biomass-derived carbon-based molybdenum oxide (KSC@MoO₃) nanocomposite material using two-step (hydrothermal and co-pyrolysis) processes. The surface morphology and electrochemical properties of as-prepared nanocomposite material were analyzed using HR-SEM, XRD, XPS, and cyclic voltammetric techniques. KSC@MoO₃ nanocomposite exhibited prominent electrocatalytic behavior to simultaneously determine hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CC) in environmental waters. The as-prepared electrochemical sensor showed excellent performance towards the detection of HQ and CC with broad concentration ranges between 0.5–176.5 μM (HQ and CC), and the detection limits achieved were 0.063 μM (HQ) and 0.059 μM (CC). Furthermore, the developed modified electrode has exhibited excellent stability and reproducibility and was also applied to analyze HQ and CC in environmental water samples. Results revealed that chicken feather waste valorization could result in sustainable biomass conversion into a high-value nanomaterial to develop a cost-effective electrochemical environmental monitoring sensor and lipids for biofuel.

We aimed to explore the effects of mixtures of lead and various metals on blood pressure (BP) and the odds of pre-hypertension (systolic blood pressure (SBP) 120–139 mmHg, and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 80–89 mmHg) and hypertension (SBP/DBP ≥140/90 mmHg) among Chinese adults in a cross-sectional study. This study included 11,037 adults aged 18 years or older from the 2017–2018 China National Human Biomonitoring. Average BP and 13 metals (lead, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, thallium, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, manganese, nickel, selenium, and tin) in blood and urine were measured and lifestyle and demographic data were collected. Weighted multiple linear regressions were used to estimate associations of metals with BP in both single and multiple metal models. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression was performed to assess the relationship between metal mixture levels and BP. In the single metal model, after adjusting for potential confounding factors, the blood lead levels in the highest quartile were associated with the greater odds of both pre-hypertension (odds ratio (OR): 1.56, 95% CI: 1.22–1.99) and hypertension (OR:1.75, 95% CI: 1.28–2.40) when compared with the lowest quartile. We also found that blood arsenic levels were associated with increased odds of pre-hypertension (OR:1.31, 95% CI:1.00–1.74), while urinary molybdenum levels were associated with lower odds of hypertension (OR:0.68, 95% CI:0.50–0.93). No significant associations were found for the other 10 metals. WQS regression analysis showed that metal mixture levels in blood were significantly associated with higher SBP (β = 1.56, P < 0.05) and DBP (β = 1.56, P < 0.05), with the largest contributor being lead (49.9% and 66.8%, respectively). The finding suggests that exposure to mixtures of metals as measured in blood were positively associated with BP, and that lead exposure may play a critical role in hypertension development.

There is little information available to decipher the interaction between molybdenum (Mo) and nitric oxide (NO) in mitigating arsenic (Asⱽ) stress in plants. The present work highlights the associative role of exogenous Mo and endogenous NO signaling in regulating Asⱽ tolerance in wheat seedlings. Application of Mo (1 μM) on 25-day-old wheat seedlings grown in the presence (5 μM) or absence of Asⱽ stress caused improvement of photosynthetic pigment metabolism, reduction of electrolytic leakage and reactive oxygen species (ROS), and higher accumulation of osmolytes (proline and total soluble sugars). The molybdenum treatment upregulated antioxidative enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase. In addition, the accumulation of nonenzymatic antioxidants (ascorbate and glutathione) was correlated with an increase in ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase activity. The application of cPTIO (endogenous NO scavenger; 100 μM) reversed the Mo-mediated effects, thus indicating that endogenous NO may accompany Mo-induced mitigation of Asⱽ stress. Mo treatment stimulated the accumulation of endogenous NO in the presence of Asⱽ stress. Thus, it is evident that Mo and NO-mediated Asⱽ stress tolerance in wheat seedlings are primarily operative through chlorophyll restoration, osmolytes accumulation, reduced electrolytic leakage, and ROS homeostasis.

The present study aims to determine the associations of multiple plasma metal levels and plasma microRNAs (miRNAs) with diabetes risk, and further explore the mediating effects of plasma miRNAs on the associations of plasma metal with diabetes risk. We detected plasma levels of 23 metals by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) among 94 newly diagnosed and untreated diabetic cases and 94 healthy controls. The plasma miRNAs were examined by microRNA Array screening and Taqman real-time PCR validation among the same study population. The multivariate logistic regression models were employed to explore the associations of plasma metal and miRNAs levels with diabetes risk. Generalized linear regression models were utilized to investigate the relationships between plasma metal and plasma miRNAs, and mediation analysis was used to assess the mediating effects of plasma miRNAs on the relationships between plasma metals and diabetes risk. Plasma aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), rubidium (Rb), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), and Thallium (Tl) levels were correlated with elevated diabetic risk while molybdenum (Mo) with decreased diabetic risk (P < 0.05 after FDR multiple correction). MiR-122–5p and miR-3141 were positively associated with diabetes risk (all P < 0.05). Ti, Cu, and Zn were positively correlated with miR-122–5p (P = 0.001, 0.028 and 0.004 respectively). Ti, Cu, and Se were positively correlated with miR-3141 (P = 0.003, 0.015, and 0.031 respectively). In addition, Zn was positively correlated with miR-193b-3p (P = 0.002). Ti was negatively correlated with miR-26b-3p (P = 0.016), while Mo and miR-26b-3p were positively correlated (P = 0.042). In the mediation analysis, miR-122–5p mediated 48.0% of the association between Ti and diabetes risk. The biological mechanisms of the association are needed to be explored in further studies.

The alkaline mineral amendment is a practical means of alleviating Cd concentration in rice grain (CdR) in the short-term; however, the long-term remediation effect of mineral amendment on the CdR and the eco-environmental controls remains unknown. Here a mineral (Si–Ca–Mg) amendment, calcined primarily from molybdenum tailings and dolomite, was applied biannually over 6 years (12 seasons) to acidic and moderately Cd-contaminated double-rice cropping ecosystems. This study investigated the inter-annual variation of Cd in the rice-soil ecosystem and the eco-environmental controls in subtropical rice ecosystems. CdR was reduced by 50%–86% following mineral amendment. The within-year reduction in CdR was similar between early rice (50%–86%, mean of 68%) and late rice (68%–85%, mean of 74%), leading to CdR in all early rice and in 83% of late rice samples below the upper limit (0.2 mg kg⁻¹) of the China National Food Safety Standards. In contrast, the inter-annual reduction in CdR was moderately variable, showing a greater CdR reduction in the later 3 years (73%–86%) than in the former 3 years (54%–79%). Three years continuous mineral amendment was required to guarantee the safety rice production. The concentrations of DTPA-extractable and exchangeable Cd fractions in soil were reduced, while the concentration of oxides-bound Cd was increased. In addition, the soil pH, concentrations of Olsen-P and exchangeable Ca and Mg were elevated. These imply a lower apparent phytoavailability of Cd in the soil following mineral amendment. An empirical model of the 3-variable using soil DTPA-Cd, soil Olsen-P, and a climatic factor (precipitation) effectively predicted temporal changes in CdR. Our study demonstrates that Cd phytoavailability in soil (indexed by DTPA-extractable Cd) and climatic factors (e.g., temperature and precipitation) may directly/indirectly control the inter-annual reduction in CdR following mineral amendment in slightly and moderately Cd-contaminated paddy ecosystems.

The effluents released from textile industries mainly consist of dyes, metals and other pollutants. Dyes often are discharged in wastewater streams causing adverse effect on the environment. To eliminate these harmful dyes, various techniques are emerging out of which nanotechnology is the most reliable and safer. Nanotechnology offers convincing applications in case of environmental and economic concerns. The bio-synthesis of nanoparticles has several advantages over conventional methods and approach towards environment concern as well. Biological method of nanoparticles synthesis is concluded to be the most promising and efficient in action. Bio-synthesised nanoparticles could be used for treatment and decolourisation of dyes in an efficient manner. This review comprises the study of number of bio-synthesised nanoparticles utilised for degradation of various dyes present as pollutants in wastewater. Bio-synthesised nanoparticles such as gold, silver, iron, cobalt, zinc, titanium and molybdenum used for degradation of various dyes have been discussed in this review.

Associations between environmental metals and chemicals and adverse human health effects have emerged recently, but the links among environmental metals and respiratory diseases are less studied. The aim of this study was to assess 14 urinary metals (cadmium, barium, cobalt, molybdenum, mercury, cesium, manganese, antimony, lead, tin, strontium, tungsten, thallium, and uranium), seven species of arsenic (arsenous acid, arsenic acid, arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, dimethylarsinic acid, monomethylarsonic acid, and total arsenic) and seven polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) (1-hydroxynaphthalene, 2-hydroxynaphthalene, 3-hydroxyfluorene, 2-hydroxyfluorene, 1-hydroxyphenanthrene, 1-hydroxypyrene, 2 & 3-hydroxyphenanthrene) compounds’ concentrations in urine and the correlation with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the adult US population. A cross-sectional analysis using the 2013–2014 and 2015–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset was conducted. Self-questionnaires related to COPD criteria were used to identify the COPD cases. The correlation between urinary metals and PAH compounds and COPD was calculated. The total study population analyzed included 2885 adults aged 20 years and older. Seven types of urinary PAHs including 1-hydroxynaphthalene [odds ratio (OR): 1.832, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.210, 2.775], 2-hydroxynaphthalene [OR: 3.361, 95% CI: 1.519, 7.440], 3-hydroxyfluorene [OR: 2.641, 95% CI: 1.381, 5.053], 2-hydroxyfluorene [OR: 3.628, 95% CI: 1.754, 7.506], 1-hydroxyphenanthrene [OR: 2.864, 95% CI: 1.307, 6.277], 1-hydroxypyrene [OR: 4.949, 95% CI: 2.540, 9.643] and 2 & 3-hydroxyphenanthrene [OR: 3.487, 95% CI: 1.382, 8.795] were positively associated with COPD. Urinary cadmium [OR: 12.382, 95% CI: 4.459, 34.383] and tin [OR: 1.743, 95% CI: 1.189, 2.555] showed positive associations with increased odds of COPD. The other types of urinary metals were not associated with COPD. The study observed that urinary PAHs, cadmium, and tin are significantly associated with COPD.

The requirements for better understanding of marine metal geochemistry continually emphasize precise and accurate quantitative determination of elements in surface seawater matrix. While precise results are attained with most of the modern analytical instruments, the accuracy of quantitative results falls short unless the interferences caused from the high salinity of seawater are eliminated. In this study, the mass fractions of 22 elements in the surface seawater samples collected from the coastal part of west Antarctica were determined using an accurate and reliable quantification method. In this method, magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)₂) precipitation was performed using N,N-diethylethanamine (C₆H₁₅N) prior to determination by inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry system and the utility of method was studied by spiking experiments into seawater matrices. Percent recovery values of selected elements were varied between 86.0 and 129.9% with satisfactory precision levels (RSD ≤ 17.7%). Following the acceptable recovery results, the analytical method was used to determine the quantities of elements in surface seawater samples. In the samples, significant levels of aluminum, vanadium, and molybdenum were detected while the levels of heavy metals including As, Sb, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Bi were below the detection limit. The results suggest the absence of a continual contamination process in the coastal region of Horseshoe and Faure Islands. Concerning the limited data available in literature, the results may contribute for reliable evaluation of the distribution levels of selected elements in Antarctica.

Human beings are exposed to heavy metals through various ways in daily life. However, the effect of heavy metal mixtures on muscle strength in children and adolescents remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the relationship of exposure to heavy metal mixtures (barium, cadmium, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, lead, antimony, strontium, tin, thallium, tungsten, uranium, and cesium) with muscle strength in children and adolescents. A total of 1357 (boys, 50.8%) participants aged between 8 and 17 were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2011–2014. Urine metals were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Muscle strength was measured through a grip test using a handgrip dynamometer. Weighted quantile sum regression was performed to estimate the mixture effect of urinary metals on muscle strength. After adjusting for potential confounders, comparing participants in the highest versus lowest quartiles of cobalt, molybdenum, lead, antimony, strontium, thallium, and cesium, the handgrip strength decreased by − 4.48 kg (95% CI: − 6.93, − 2.03), − 6.13 kg (− 8.76, − 3.51), − 2.26 kg (− 4.22, − 0.30), − 2.38 kg (− 4.68, − 0.08), − 2.29 kg (− 4.45, − 0.13), − 4.78 kg (− 7.13, − 2.44), and − 5.68 kg (− 9.20, − 2.17), respectively. Furthermore, exposure to a mixture of metals were also significantly associated with decreased muscle strength (β: − 2.62 kg; 95% CI: − 3.71, − 1.54). Findings from the present study suggest that higher heavy metal exposure and the exposure levels of a mixture of metals in urine are inversely related to handgrip strength, implying that children’s grip strength is not entirely explained by energy intake or lack of exercise, but may be related to environmental pollutants.

Microplastics are contaminants of great concern all over the world. Microplastics constitute pollutants themselves; moreover, other contaminants such as metals are easily absorbed on their plastic surface, becoming bioavailable to marine biota such as zooplankton.We collected marine zooplankton from Mediterranean Sea to investigate trace elements associated with microplastics. Samples were subjected to visual sorting by a stereomicroscope, collected with sterile tweezers, pooled and subjected to sonication, filtration, and drying before being subjected to acid extraction. An ICP-MS was utilized for multi-elemental determination.Aluminum, iron, chromium, zinc, nickel, molybdenum, manganese, lead cobalt, and copper were found at concentrations of mg/kg while arsenic, vanadium, rubidium, and cadmium at level of μg kg⁻¹. Other elements such as silver, beryllium, bismuth, selenium, tin, and thallium were under the limit of quantitation. Lower levels of iron and manganese in samples from Italy were found in comparison to England and Brazil, while aluminum, copper, and zinc registered comparable values. The presence of metals in marine waters is strictly related to sediment lithology and anthropogenic inputs, but plastic plays a key role as vectors for metal ions in the marine system, being able to concentrate metals several order of magnitude higher than in surrounding waters and exerting potential toxicity for living beings after chronic exposure.