Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has been utilized in many products for years. DEHP exposure has been linked to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and its risk factors. Recent evidence has found a crucial role for epigenetics, including DNA methylation, in CVD. Moreover, DEHP exposure has proved to alter DNA methylation in epidemiological studies. However, the interplay between DEHP exposure, global DNA methylation, and atherosclerosis has never been reported. In this current study, we enrolled 793 participants (12–30 years) from a Taiwanese population to investigate the association between concentrations of DEHP metabolites, 5mdC/dG (global DNA methylation marker) and the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). The results showed urine mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) level was positively correlated with 5mdC/dG and CIMT, respectively. In logistic regression models, the odds ratios (OR) of thicker CIMT (greater than 75ᵗʰ percentile) with one unit increase in ln-MEHP level was higher when levels of 5mdC/dG were above 50%. In structural equation model, the result showed urine MEHP levels are directly associated with CIMT. Moreover, MEHP had an indirect association with CIMT through the 5mdC/dG after adjusting other confounding effects. In the current study, urine DEHP metabolite levels were positively correlated with 5mdC/dG, and CIMT. Our results showed DEHP had a direct and indirect association with CIMT through the 5mdC/dG. The finding implies that DNA methylation may mediate the association between DEHP exposures and subclinical atherosclerosis in this young population. Future effort is needed to elucidate the causal relationship between DEHP exposure, DNA methylation and CVD.

Daphnids, including the water flea Daphnia magna, can be exploited for wastewater treatment purposes, given that they are filter feeder organisms that are able to remove suspended particles from water. The presence of pollutants, such as microplastics and chemicals, might be considered stressors and modify the behaviour and survival of D. magna individuals. The impact of the cumulative pollutants that regulate the fate of living organisms has yet to be fully determined. Here we present the effect of double and triple combinations of stressors on the behaviour of D. magna. The impact of water temperature, ammonium and polystyrene microplastics on the filtration capacity and survival of D. magna is studied. Water temperatures of 15 °C, 20 °C and 25 °C, microplastic-to-food ratios of 25% and 75%, and ammonium concentrations of 10 and 30 mg N–NH₄⁺ L⁻¹ are tested after making dual and triple combinations of the parameters. A synergistic effect between water temperature and ammonium is normally observed but not in the case of the lower values of ammonium concentration and temperature. The combination of three stressors (water temperature, microplastics and ammonium) is also found to be synergistic, producing the greatest impact on D. magna filtration capacity and reducing their survival. In comparison with the effect of the two stressor conditions, the combination of the three stressors caused a reduction of between 13.1% and 91.7% in the t₅₀% time (the time required for a 50% reduction in the D. magna filtration capacity) and a reduction of between 4.8% and 54.5% in TD50 (the time for 50% mortality).

The present work describes spreading of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) at the tropical and temperate zones which are explained based on insolation energy, Particulate Matter (PM₂.₅), latitude, temperature, humidity, Population Density (PD), Human Development Index (HDI) and Global Health Security Index (GHSI) parameters. In order to analyze the spreading of SARS-CoV-2 by statistical data based on the confirmed positive cases which are collected between December 31, 2019 to April 25, 2020. The present analysis reveals that the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in the major countries lie on the Equator is 78,509 cases, the countries lie on the Tropic of Cancer is 62,930 cases (excluding China) and the countries lie on the Tropic of Capricorn is 22,842 cases. The tropical countries, which comes between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn is reported to be 1,77,877 cases. The temperate zone countries, which are above and below the tropical countries are reported to be 25,66,171 cases so, the pandemic analysis describes the correlation between latitude, temperate zones, PM₂.₅ and local environmental factors. Hence, the temperature plays a pivotal role in the spreading of coronavirus at below 20 °C. The spreading of SARS-CoV-2 cases in Northern and Southern Hemispheres has inverse order against absorption of insolated energy. In temperate zone countries, the concentration of PM₂.₅ at below 20 μg/m³ has higher spreading rate of SARS-CoV-2 cases. The effect of insolation energy and PM₂.₅, it is confirmed that the spreading of SARS-CoV-2 is explained by dumb-bell model and solid/liquid interface formation mechanism. The present meta-analysis also focuses on the impact of GHSI, HDI, PD and PM₂.₅ on spreading of SARS-CoV-2 cases.

Hexavalent chromium has aroused a series of environmental concerns due to its high mobility and toxicity. Iron and manganese oxides usually coexist in the environments and influence the speciation and geochemical cycling of chromium. However, the interaction mechanism of iron-manganese oxides with dissolved Cr(VI) remains largely unknown. In this work, the interaction processes of dissolved Cr(VI) and manganite in the presence of goethite coating were investigated, and the effects of pH (2.0–9.0) and iron oxide content were also studied. Manganite-goethite composites were formed with uniform micromorphologies in the system of manganite and Fe(II). In the reaction system of single manganite and Cr(VI), manganite could only adsorb but not reduce Cr(VI), with the adsorption amount decreasing at higher pHs. In the reaction system of manganite-goethite composites and Cr(VI), adsorbed Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III) by Fe(II) on composites surface. The generated Cr(III) was then retained as Cr(OH)₃ on the mineral surface. Goethite coating suppressed the re-oxidation of newly formed Cr(III) by manganite. The amounts of adsorbed Cr(VI) and generated Cr(III) increased with increasing iron oxide content, and increased first and then decreased with increasing pH. The Cr(III) formation and Cr(VI) adsorption amount reached the maximum at pH 5.0–6.0. The present work highlights the transformation and retention of Cr(VI) by iron-manganese oxides and provides potential implications for the use of such oxides in the remediation of Cr(VI) polluted waters and soils.

The effects of warming and elevated ozone (O₃) concentrations on nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission from cropland has received increasing attention; however, the small number of studies on this topic impedes understanding. A field experiment was performed to explore the role of warming and elevated O₃ concentrations on N₂O emission from wheat-soybean rotation cropland from 2012 to 2013 using open-top chambers (OTCs). Experimental treatments included ambient temperature (control), elevated temperature (+2 °C), elevated O₃ (100 ppb), and combined elevated temperature (+2 °C) and O₃ (100 ppb). Results demonstrate that warming significantly increased the accumulative amount of N₂O (AAN) emitted from the soil-winter wheat system due to enhanced nitrification rates in the wheat farmland and nitrate reductase activity in wheat leaves. However, elevated O₃ concentrations significantly decreased AAN emission from the soil-soybean system owing to reduced nitrification rates in the soybean farmland. The combined treatment of warming and elevated O₃ inhibited the emission of N₂O from the soybean farmland. Additionally, both the warming and combined treatments significantly increased soil nitrification rates in winter wheat and soybean croplands and decreased denitrification rates in the winter wheat cropping system. Our results suggest that global warming and elevated O₃ concentrations will strongly affect N₂O emission from wheat-soybean rotation croplands.

Microbiota associated with airborne particulate matter (PM) is an important indicator of indoor pollution as they can be pathogenic and cause serious health threats to the exposed occupants. Present study aimed to investigate the level of culturable microbes associated with PM and their toxicological characterization in urban and rural houses of Pune city. Highest concentration of bacterial aerosols observed to be associated with PM₁₀ size fraction in urban site (2136 ± 285 CFU/m³) whereas maximum fungal concentration has been measured in rural houses (1521 ± 302 CFU/m³). Predominantly found bacterial species were Bacillus sp., S. aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and fungal species were Aspergillus sp., Cladosporium sp., and Penicillium sp. in both urban and rural residential premises. Concentration of endotoxin measured using the kinetic Limulus Amebocyte Lysate assay exhibited that the level of endotoxin in both urban and rural sites are associated with household characteristics and the activities performed in indoor as well as outdoor. Cell free DTT assay confirmed the ability of these airborne microbes to induce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) varying along with the types of microorganisms. On exposure of A549 cells to airborne microbes, a significant decrease in cell viability was observed in terms of both necrosis and apoptosis pathway. Elevated production of nitric oxide (NO) and proinflammatory cytokines in epithelial cells and macrophages clearly suggest the inflammatory nature of these airborne microbes. Results derived from the present study demonstrated that the indoor air of urban and rural houses of Pune is contaminated in terms of microbial load. Therefore, attention should be paid to control the factors favoring the microbial growth in order to safeguard the health of exposed inhabitants.

Wastewater containing high concentrations of nitriles, if discharged without an appropriate nonhazardous disposal strategy, will cause serious environmental pollution. During secondary sewage biological treatment, most existing bacteria cannot endure high-concentration nitriles due to poor tolerance and low degradation ability. The Rhodococcus rhodochrous strain BX2 screened by our laboratory shows high resistance to nitriles and can efficiently degrade these compounds. Compared with sole high-concentration nitriles present in the biodegradation process, the addition of glucose at a suitable concentration can effectively increase the biomass of BX2, promote the expression of nitrile-degrading enzyme genes, improve the activities of these enzymes and enhance the pollutant removal efficiency via carbon catabolite repression (CCR) mechanisms. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the four key regulators of CCR identified in gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria are concomitant in BX2. This study provides an economically feasible strategy for the microbial remediation of high-concentration nitriles and other organic pollutants.

Humic-like substances (HULIS) are complex mixtures that are highly associated with brown carbon (BrC) and are important components of biomass burning (BB) emissions. In this study, we investigated the light absorption, emission factors (EFs), and amounts of HULIS emitted from the simulated burning of 27 types of regionally important rainforest biomass in Southeast Asia. We observed that HULIS had a high mass absorption efficiency at 365 nm (MAE₃₆₅), with an average value of 2.6 ± 0.83 m² g⁻¹ C. HULIS emitted from BB accounted for 65% ± 13% of the amount of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and 85% ± 10% of the light absorption of WSOC at 365 nm. The EFs of HULIS from BB averaged 2.3 ± 2.1 g kg⁻¹ fuel, and the burning of the four vegetation subtypes (herbaceous plants, shrubs, evergreen trees, and deciduous trees) exhibited different characteristics. The differences in EFs among the subtypes were likely due to differences in lignin content in the vegetation, the burning conditions, or other factors. The light absorption characteristics of HULIS were strongly associated with the EFs. The annual emissions (minimum–maximum) of HULIS from BB in this region in 2016 were 200–371 Gg. Furthermore, the emissions from January to April accounted for 99% of the total annual emissions of HULIS, which is likely the result of the burning activities during this season. The most significant emission regions were Cambodia, Burma, Thailand, and Laos. This study, which evaluated emissions of HULIS by simulating open BB, contributes to a better understanding of the light-absorbing properties and regional budgets of BrC in this region.

The role of exposure time on wetland sediment-bound phosphorus (P) biogeochemical behavior is studied in Lake Poyang after the operation of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD). The multiple P compounds primarily include orth–P (88.3%), mono–P (8.9%), DNA–P (2.1%), and pyro–P (0.8%) in the exposed sediments. A significant decreasing trend of orth–P occurred after the operation of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD), with the mean concentration decreasing from 175.9 to 142.5 mg kg⁻¹ from 2007 to 2012 (ANOVA: P < 0.05), whereas the temporal change in biogenic P showed great variability. The plant distribution pattern and the increase in plant biomass due to decreased water levels might be the reason that caused variations in the P species. Furthermore, the content of orth–P, mono–P, DNA–P, and pyro–P showed increasing trends as sediment exposure time increased. However, the enzyme hydrolysis rate of DNA–P decreased with exposure time and may cause the bioavailability of biogenic P to decrease. Despite the fact that the bioavailability of biogenic P might decline in the short term, the favorable environmental conditions for P release in sediment rewetting processes, together with the increase in orth–P and biogenic P due to extended exposure time, indicate that these large additions of P would enter the overlying water and cause water quality decline once the sediment is submerged underwater during the next wet season. An environmental process analysis showed that the increased exposure time induced sediment environmental conditions changes that played an important role in the biogeochemical cycle of P and may be an important way of P replenishment in Lake Poyang. The results of this study help provide a better understanding of the role of sediment drying/wetting cycles in nutrient biogeochemical behavior and fates in wetland ecosystems.

Volatile Petroleum Hydrocarbon (VPH) class effects on soil microbial composition were investigated using two next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques – 454 pyrosequencing and ion torrent sequencing. Microbial activity was stimulated by adding different VPH compound classes to the sandy soil in comparison with live controls without VPH addition. Microbial community structure was significantly affected by the various VPH classes. At the genus level, Rhodococcus, Desulfosporosinus, Polaromonas, Mesorhizobium and Methylibium had the highest relative abundances in the straight-chain alkane (str-alk) treated soil as compared to the control (p < 0.05, 2 sample t-tests) while Pseudomonas was more dominant in the cyclic alkane (cyc-alk) contaminated soil. Pseudonocardia was significantly higher in relative abundance in the aromatic hydrocarbon (aro-H) treated batches as compared to the control (p < 0.05, 2 sample t-tests). A non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) of the Bray Curtis similarity between microbial communities in the batches revealed at least 60% similarity for each treatment and also showed that VPH class was a statistically significant factor in shaping the bacterial communities in the soil treatments (Global R = 0.861, p < 0.01). The NGS platforms (454 GS Junior and Ion torrent) compared in this study did not appear to affect the outcomes of the microbial community structure and composition analysis.