Developing countries like Pakistan majorly depend on fossil fuels for achieving higher economic growth but have sloppy environmental rules and regulations in order to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). As a result, energy consumption is considered the primary cause of environmental degradation. Besides CO₂ emission, environmental degradation is also associated with emission of sulfur dioxide (SO₂). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among SO₂ emissions, energy consumption, economic growth, and FDI in Pakistan. By applying the 3SLS method, study has estimated the scale effect, composition effect, and technique effect. The scale effect and technique effect findings indicated that capital stock, FDI, and SO₂ emissions all had a significant impact on GDP. When the capital accumulation effects of FDI were considered, the relationship between FDI and stock of capital was found to be positive. According to the technique effect results, FDI, population density, and energy consumption were all significantly related to SO₂ emissions. The study came to a conclusion with significant policy implications.

Using post-mining areas for planting energy crops has emerged as a promising and sustainable reclamation solution due to its potential contributions to environmental protection, land restoration, and especially energy security. However, to ensure the sustainability of this reclamation solution, its environmental performance needs to be thoroughly assessed case by case. Located in Ha Thuong Commune, Dai Tu District, Thai Nguyen Province in northern Vietnam, Nui Phao is the world’s largest tungsten mine. To restore post-mining sites at Nui Phao, cassava planting for ethanol production was one of the proposed measures. To support the decision-making, this study employs life cycle assessment to thoroughly evaluate the environmental performance and potential environmental benefits/costs of cassava-based reclamation system in terms of resource consumption and green house gas (GHG) emission. The results show that cassava-based reclamation might bring significant environmental benefits in terms of fossil fuel saving and GHGs reduction (i.e., reduce 50% fossil fuel consumption and 36% GHGs emission); however, it does not bring any benefit in terms of water and land resource consumption. Moreover, the results define cassava cultivation as the “hot spot” of the system, where innovations to enhance the yield and reduce water and fertilizer consumption are required to improve the environmental performance of the cassava-based reclamation system.

The increased titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂-NPs) spread and their interaction with organic and inorganic pollutants arouses concern for the potential hazards for organisms and environment. This study tested in vitro the genotoxic effects of TiO₂-NPs (1 μg/mL) and cadmium (Cd) (0.1 μg/mL) co-exposure using Dicentrarchus labrax embryonic cells (DLEC) as experimental model. The genotoxicity tests (Comet assay, Diffusion Assay and Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR) were conducted after 3, 24 and 48 hours of exposure to TiO₂-NPs and Cd alone and in combination. The results showed that the percentage of DNA damage and apoptotic cells increases following 48 hours TiO₂-NPs exposure, while DNA instability was detected for all the times tested. Cd induced genotoxic effects starting from 3 hour-exposure and for all the treatment times. Cd + TiO₂-NPs co-exposure did not cause any genomic damage or apoptosis for all the exposure times. The possibility that Cd and TiO₂-NPs form aggregates no longer able of penetrating the nucleus and damaging the genetic material is discussed.

Owing to rapid socio-economic development in China, trace metal emissions have increased and lakes even in remote areas have experienced marked changes in the last century. However, there are limited studies revealing long-term trends, anthropogenic fluxes, and spatial characteristics of trace metals in lakes. In this study, we present a geochemical record from Lake Qinghai in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and reconstruct trace metal pollution history during the last two centuries. The lacustrine sediment core was dated by ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb, and sediments deposited prior to the 1850s were selected as the pre-industrial background. Factor analysis and enrichment factor indicated Cr, Cu, and Ni generally originated from natural sources, while Cd, Pb, and Zn have been influenced by human contamination since the mid-1980s. The anthropogenic Cd mainly derived from non-ferrous metal smelting in Gansu Province, and fluxes to Lake Qinghai sharply increased after the mid-1980s. The metal reconstruction is similar to other lake sediment records from China and corresponds well with rapid economic development in China. The spatial pattern of anthropogenic Cd fluxes to lakes is primarily attributed to regional industrial emission, phosphate fertilizers, and manure applied in agriculture.

In recent decades, emerging environmental pollutants such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have become a particular concern. This study examined the association of maternal exposure to benzophenones as one of the EDCs with gestational age and evaluated their effects on birth outcomes including birth weight, birth length, head circumference, and Ponderal Index. We assessed 166 pregnant mothers of the PERSIAN cohort population of Isfahan, Iran, in the 1st and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy and their infants at birth. Four common benzophenones (BPs) including 2,4-dihydroxy benzophenone (BP-1), 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzophenone (BP-3), 4-hydroxy benzophenone (4-OH-BP), and 2,2′-dihydroxy-4-methoxy benzophenone (BP-8) were measured in maternal urine samples. The median urinary concentrations of 4-OH-BP, BP-3, BP-1, and BP-8 in the 1st trimester were 6.62, 7.5, 4.39, and 1.32 µg/g creatinine and those in the 3rd trimester were 3.15, 16.98, 9.95, and 1.04 µg/g creatinine, respectively. BP-3 was the predominant metabolite in both trimesters. There was a significant correlation between BP-3, BP-1, and 4-OH-BP levels (p < 0.05) but not BP-8. BP-1 showed a significant positive association with gestational age (GA) in all infants in the 1st trimester, but a negative association was observed between BP-3 and BP-1 levels and GA in girls. Classification of infants’ birth weight for different GAs represented that the majority of them were appropriate for GA. However, boys’ weights were heavier than girls. Also, birth outcomes of preterm (< 37 weeks) infants were noticeably lower than term infants (37–42 weeks). This study demonstrated that benzophenone derivatives especially BP-3 can affect the duration of pregnancy and consequently fetal growth in the early and late stages of pregnancy. This is more pronounced in girls; however, more investigations in a different population are needed to prove the results. Therefore, the application of these compounds as a UV protector requires precise regulation to reduce exposure, especially in pregnant women.

Growing studies have demonstrated that circRNAs (circular RNAs) act potential roles in tumor metastasis and progression. However, the expression and function of circ_0006404 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain to be investigated. The expression of circ_0006404 and miR-624 was detected by qRT-PCR. CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, and wound healing were performed to determine cell proliferation, cycle, and migration. The target of circ_0006404 was studied by bioinformatics and luciferase activity analysis. Our data indicated that circ_0006404 was overexpressed in HCC specimens and cells and ectopic expression of circ_0006404 increased HCC cell growth, cycle, and migration. Moreover, we showed that miR-624 was downregulated in HCC specimens and cells and miR-624 expression was negatively correlated with circ_0006404 expression in HCC specimens. Circ_0006404 sponged miR-624 in HCC cell, and the overexpression of circ_0006404 suppressed miR-624 expression in HCC cell. Furthermore, circ_0006404 induced HCC cell growth, cycle, and migration via regulating miR-624. These results elucidated that circ_0006404 facilitated HCC progression and might act as one new biomarker for this carcinoma.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs), substitutes of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, have been found in a variety of marine environmental matrices, whereas little is known about the feature and sources of seawater OPEs from the environments simultaneously affected by multiple anthropogenic activities. Jiaozhou Bay is one typical bay heavily disturbed by human activities, which was semi-enclosed and surrounded by large amounts of discharged rivers and catchments, various types of ports, and aquaculture farms. This study found that concentrations of Σ₁₃OPEs ranged from 23.90 to 366.40 ng/L (median: 37.76 ng/L) in the seawater and from 90.15 to 1183.14 ng/L (median: 940.61 ng/L) in the inflowing river water. Tris (2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate, triethyl phosphate, and tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate were the predominant congener, with the percentage of 43.76%, 22.80%, and 14.01%, respectively, in the bay water and 52.47%, 11.31%, and 23.66% in the river water. The overall spatial distribution was characterized by a higher concentration of Σ₁₃OPEs and halogenated-OPEs in the nearshore sites and in the inflowing rivers, which were surrounded by urbanized areas with dense anthropogenic activities, especially along the eastern coast. Effluent discharge and vehicular and marine traffic emissions were distinguished as two main plausible sources of OPEs to Jiaozhou Bay, based on the principal component analysis and Spearman correlations. Ecological risk analysis indicated that Σ₁₃OPEs posed a low risk to aquatic organisms in the bay and low-to-medium risks in the inflowing rivers.

The issue of low carbon emission reduction is getting more and more attention. This paper focuses on analyzing the equilibriums and digging deep into the impacts of cap-and-trade regulation, joint emission abatement scheme, and online direct channel on the performances of supply chain. By constructing two decentralized models in the single/joint emission abatement schemes under cap-and-trade regulation in a dual-channel supply chain, we find that consumer’s environmental preference effectually motivates both the manufacturer and retailer to reduce emissions with joint emission abatement scheme. The analysis results show that introducing an online channel is always good for improving enterprises’ profits, as well as protecting the environment in the joint emission abatement. Besides, the retailer should provide consumers with better service in the retail channel, which can further promote purchase power and drive the sustainable development of the supply chain. The manufacturer, when consumers have strong environmental preferences, should actively participate in cap-and-trade mechanism no matter single or joint emission abatement scheme is enforced.

Hyperlipidemia, the most common form of dyslipidemia, is the main source of cardiovascular disorders, characterized by elevated level of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in peripheral blood. It is caused by a defect in lipid metabolism in the surface of Apoprotein C-II or a defect in lipoprotein lipase activity as well as reported in genetic, dietary and environmental factors. Several electronic databases were investigated as information sources, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Semantic Scholar, MEDLINE and CNKI Scholar. The current review focused on the risk factors of dyslipidemia, synthetic medication with their side effects and different types of medicinal plants having significant potential for the management of hyperlipidemia. The management of hyperlipidemia mostly involves a constant decrease in lipid level using different remedial drugs like statin, fibrate, bile acid sequestrates and niacin. However, this extensive review suggested that the consequences of these drugs are arguable, due to their numerous adverse effects. The selected parts of herb plants are used intact or their extracts containing active phytoconstituents to regulate the lipids in blood level. It was also noted that the Chinese herbal medicine and combination therapy is promising for the lowering of hyperlipidemia. This review intends to provide a scientific base for future endeavors, such as in-depth biological and chemical investigations into previously researched topics.