Acid mine drainage (AMD) is harmful to the environment and human health. Microorganisms-mineral interactions are responsible for AMD generation but can also remediate AMD contamination. Understanding the microbial response to AMD irrigation will reveal microbial survival strategies and provide approaches for AMD remediation. A terrace with sharp geochemical gradients caused by AMD flooding were selected to study the microbial response to changes in environmental parameters related to AMD contamination. AMD intrusion reduced soil microbial community diversity and further changed phylogenetic clustering patterns along the terrace gradient. We observed several genera seldom reported in AMD-related environments (i.e., Corynebacterium, Ochrobactrum, Natronomonas), suggesting flexible survival strategies such as nitrogen fixation, despite the poor nutritional environment. A co-occurrence network of heavily-contaminated fields was densely connected. The phyla Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Euryarchaeota were all highly interconnected members, which may affect the formation of AMD. Detailed microbial response to different soil characterizations were highlighted by random forest model. Results revealed the top three parameters influencing the microbial diversity and interactions were pH, Fe(III), and sulfate. Various acidophilic Fe- and S-metabolizing bacteria were enriched in the lower fields, which were heavily contaminated by AMD, and more neutrophiles prevailed in the less-contaminated upper fields. Many indicator species in the lower fields were identified, including Desulfosporosinus, Thermogymnomonas, Corynebacterium, Shewanella, Acidiphilium, Ochrobactrum, Leptospirillum, and Allobaculum, representing acid-tolerant bacteria community in relevant environment. The detection of one known sulfate-reducing bacteria (i.e., Desulfosporosinus) suggested that biotic sulfate reduction may occur in acidic samples, which offers multiple advantages to AMD contamination treatment. Collectively, results suggested that the geochemical gradients substantially altered the soil microbiota and enriched the relevant microorganisms adapted to the different conditions. These findings provide mechanistic insights into the effects of contamination on the soil microbiota and establish a basis for in situ AMD bioremediation strategies.

Antibiotics are emerging organic pollutants posing high health risks to humans by causing human intestinal microbial disorders with increasing abundances of opportunistic pathogens, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been confirmed to restore the dysbiosis of gut flora in many kinds of intestinal disease. However, to date, few studies have focused on the bloomed opportunistic pathogens associated human disease-related pathways as well as antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) after vancomycin exposure, and there is limited information on using FMT for restoration of intestinal microbiome affected by antibiotics. Therefore, this study investigated effects of vancomycin on the opportunistic pathogens, human disease-related pathways as well as ARGs in human gut, and the restoration of intestinal microbiome by FMT. Results indicated that vancomycin treatment substantially increased human disease-related pathways and decreased abundances of ARGs. Besides, the bloomed opportunistic pathogens including Achromobacter, Klebsiella, and Pseudomonas, caused by vancomycin exposure, were positively correlated with human disease-related pathways. The microbiota abundance and genes of human disease-related pathways and antibiotic resistance showed a remarkable return towards baseline after FMT, but not for natural recovery. These findings suggest that impacts of vancomycin on human gut are profound and FMT will be a promising strategy in clinical application that can restore the dysbiosis of gut microbiota, which may be valuable for directing future work.

Cadmium (Cd) and its forms has recently been a focus of attention due to its toxic effects on human health and the environment. We evaluated the atmospheric deposition of Cd during three consecutive winter seasons (2009–2011) at 10 mountain-top locations in the Czech Republic along the borders with Poland, Germany, Austria and Slovakia. Cadmium concentrations of soluble and insoluble forms in both horizontal (rime) and vertical (snow) deposition were determined using sector-field ICP-MS. Across the sites, 94% of the total winter Cd deposition occurred in the soluble (environmentally available) Cd form. Mean concentrations of soluble Cd in rime were six times higher than in snow (398 vs. 66 ng L⁻¹). Vertical deposition contributed as much as 41% to the total winter Cd input. Between-site variability in Cd deposition was large, ranging between 13 and 108 μg m⁻² winter⁻¹. Overall, Cd concentrations in winter deposition did not reach the drinking water limits and did not pose a direct threat for human health. Long-term trends (1996–2017) in winter Cd deposition were evaluated at six GEOMON sites (a monitoring network of small forested catchments). Since 1996, Cd input in winter atmospheric deposition decreased by 73–93%. Simultaneously, we found declines in between-site variability in winter Cd inputs. The highest recent winter Cd inputs were found at sites located in the northeast of the country. A north-south pollution gradient, which has frequently been mentioned in the literature, was not observed, with both northwestern sites and southern sites being among those with the lowest Cd pollution. Backward trajectories of the HYSPLIT model for fresh snow samples identified Poland and Germany as major transboundary Cd pollution sources for the Czech Republic.

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics could promote the emergence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and pose a potential risk to human health and the ecological environment. In this study, fifteen antibiotics and their corresponding ARGs in water, sediment and sewage treatment plant (STP) effluent were analysed to investigate their occurrence and correlation in the Yangtze River (Jiangsu section) for the first time. The concentrations of erythromycin-H₂O (EM-H₂O) (2.08–30 ng L⁻¹) and ofloxacin (OFL) (290–8400 ng kg⁻¹) were the highest in the water and sediment, respectively, and EM-H₂O and clarithromycin (CLA) posed the highest risks to aquatic organisms. The concentrations of antibiotics in STP effluent were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those in the water. Norfloxacin (NOR) was the most predominant antibiotic, with low removal efficiency (−38%-51%), in STPs; the concentration of NOR in the STP effluent was 4–6 orders of magnitude higher than that in the water. Moreover, the concentrations of antibiotics and their corresponding ARG abundance in downstream were higher than those in upstream, suggesting that STPs with high concentration levels might be an important source of river contamination. Additionally, the concentrations of antibiotics and the abundance of ARGs might increase after the sewage treatment process. The results also showed the prevalence of sul1 and sul2 in all the sampling sites. Significant correlations (p < 0.0001) were detected between int1 and sul1 and sul2, which resulted from the contribution of int1 to the propagation of ARGs. Overall, this study demonstrated the prevalence of antibiotics and ARGs and their inconsistent correlations in the Yangtze River (Jiangsu section) and provides support for further investigation of the occurrence and spread of antibiotics and ARGs.

Polyphenols, pivotal secondary metabolites, are involved in plant adaption to abiotic stresses. Here, we investigated the role and metabolism profile of polyphenols under aluminum (Al) stress in different lettuce genotypes grown in 0.5 mM CaCl₂ solution with AlCl₃ (pH = 4.5). The complementary use of high-resolution mass spectrometry and quantitative biochemical approaches allowed the characterization of total and unique phenols, as well as their roles in Al tolerance. By comparing the most tolerant and sensitive genotype, 8 polyphenols, including 4 phenolic acids, 2 flavonoids, 1 xanthone and 1 unknown compound, were identified in the roots of the tolerant genotype. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents significantly increased in the tolerant genotype under Al stress. Seedlings with more phenolic accumulation usually performed greater Al tolerance. Meanwhile, principal enzymes related to phenolic biosynthesis significantly increased in roots of the tolerance genotype after Al treatment, with phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), cinnamate 4-hydroxylase, and 4-coumarate coenzyme A ligase increased by 16, 18 and 30%, respectively. The elevated total phenolics were significantly suppressed by AIP, a highly specific PAL inhibitor. Consequently, the antioxidant capacity was inhibited, leading to lettuce sensitivity to Al stress. These results clearly suggested the enhancement of unique polyphenolic biosynthesis as an adaptive strategy of lettuce to Al stress by protecting plants from oxidative stress.

Data (N = 11251) from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for 2003–2016 for US adults aged ≥20 years were stratified by gender and anemia and analyzed to evaluate the associations between the concentrations of whole blood hemoglobin (WBHGB) and selected perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in serum by stages of glomerular filtration (GF). Investigated PFAAs were perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA). Females with whole blood hemoglobin concentrations <12 g/dL and males with whole blood hemoglobin concentrations <13 g/dL were classified as being anemic. Regression models with log10 transformed concentrations of whole blood hemoglobin as dependent variable and age, poverty income ratio, body mass index, serum cotinine, daily alcohol intake, survey year, and log10 concentrations of one of the PFAA as independent variables were fitted. For anemic females, association between WBHGB and PFAA concentrations were uniformly positive across worsening stages of renal failure and percent increases for 10% increases in PFAAs varied between 0.03% and 0.39%. For anemic males, association between WBHGB and PFAA concentrations were positive except at GF-3A (45 ≤ eGFR<60 mL/min/1.73 m²) and percent increases for 10% increases in PFAAs varied between 0.02% and 0.53%. Thus, more often than not, presence of positive associations between WBHGB and PFAA among anemics imply elevated levels of PFAA are associated with higher levels of WBHGB. Similar results were observed for non-anemic males and females, however strengths of associations between whole blood hemoglobin and PFAAs were several fold higher among anemic compared to non-anemic participants. Hemoglobin is consistently associated with serum PFAAs.

With the phase out of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the composition profiles of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) in our living environment are unclear. In this study, 25 PFASs were analyzed in indoor dust samples collected from urban, industrial, and e-waste dismantling areas in China. PFOS alternatives, including 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (6:2 Cl-PFESA) (median: 5.52 ng/g) and 8:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (8:2 Cl-PFESA) (1.81 ng/g), were frequently detected. By contrast, PFOA alternatives, such as hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HPFO-DA, Gen-X) and ammonium 4,8-dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoate (ADONA), were not found in any of the dust samples. As expected, all legacy PFASs were widely observed in indoor dust, and 4 PFAS precursors were also detected. Dust concentrations of 6:2 Cl-PFESA were strongly correlated (p < 0.05) with those of 8:2 Cl-PFESA regardless of sampling sites. 6:2 Cl-PFESA was also significantly associated with that of PFOS in industrial and e-waste (p < 0.01) areas. Association analysis suggested that the sources of PFOS and its alternatives are common or related. Although ∑Cl-PFESA concentration was lower than that of PFOS (17.4 ng/g), industrial areas had the highest 6:2 Cl-PFESA/PFOS ratio (0.63). Composition profiles of PFASs in the industrial area showed the forefront of fluorine change. Thus, the present findings suggested that Cl-PFESAs are widely used as PFOS alternatives in China, and high levels of human Cl-PFESA exposure are expected in the future. Short-chain PFASs (C4–C7) were the predominant PFASs found in dust samples, contributing to over 40% of ∑total PFASs. Furthermore, perfluoro-1-butanesulfonate/PFOS and perfluoro-n-butanoic acid (PFBA)/PFOA ratios were 2.8 and 0.72, respectively. These findings suggested shifting to the short-chain PFASs in the environment in China. To the authors knowledge this is the first study to document the levels of 6:2 Cl-PFESA, 8:2 Cl-PFESA in indoor dust.

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during pregnancy is a risk factor for adverse neurobehavioral development outcomes. Mitochondrial DNA are sensitive to environmental toxicants due to the limited ability of repairing. The change of mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) might be a biologically mechanism linking PAH exposure and children’s neurobehavioral impairment. Our aims are to explore whether PAH metabolites in maternal urine were associated with children’s neurobehavioral development at 2 years old and umbilical cord blood mtDNAcn, and whether mtDNAcn was a mediator of PAH-related neurobehavioral development. We included 158 non-smoking pregnant women from Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province. Maternal urinary eleven PAH metabolites were detected by high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). MtDNAcn in cord blood was detected by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Children’s neurodevelopment was measured by Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) when children were two years age. Generalized linear models and restricted cubic spline models were applied to assess the relationships between PAH metabolites in maternal urine and GDS scores and mtDNAcn. A mediation analysis was also conducted. Generalized linear models showed the relationships of sum of PAH metabolites (Σ-OHPAHs) in maternal urine with decreased motor score, and Σ-OHPAHs with increased mtDNAcn (p for trend < 0.05). Urinary levels of Ln (Σ-OHPAHs) increased one unit was related to a 2.08 decreased in motor scores, and Ln (Σ-OHPAHs) increased one unit was related to 0.15 increased in mtDNAcn. Mediation analysis did not find mtDNAcn can be a mediator between PAH metabolites and neurobehavioral development. Our results suggest that prenatal exposure to PAH decreased children’s neurobehavioral development scores and increased mtDNAcn. And reducing exposure to PAH during pregnancy will benefit to improving neurobehavioral development in children.In our present cohort study, sum of PAH metabolites in urine of pregnant women were related with motor score and were positively associated with umbilical cord blood mtDNA copy number.

Microplastics are a complex group of ubiquitous environmental contaminants of emerging concern. These particles degrade slowly, release plasticizers, and can be transferred between trophic levels. In aquatic systems, they have been identified suspended in the water column, along shorelines, and within sediment. However, the abundance and distribution of microplastics in vegetated wetlands, which are transitional ecosystems between terrestrial and aquatic environments, are poorly understood. Here we describe the spatial distribution of soil microplastics in habitats of varying vegetation density in an urban tidal wetland. Samples were wet-sieved, organic matter was oxidized using hydrogen peroxide, and microplastics separated under a dissecting microscope, counted, and weighed. A fraction (n = 175) were analyzed via FTIR for validation. Positive microplastics identification was 81%–93%. Dominant polymers were polystyrene (29%) and polyethylene and synthetic rubber (both 8%). Average microplastic number to a 5-cm depth (23,200 ± 2,500 m−2 or 1,270 ± 150 kg−1) varied between habitat types, where mudflat, channel edge, and drift line habitats all had significantly more total microplastics than the interior of dense stands of vegetation, suggesting that emergent wetland plants are a highly effective filter of microplastics. Microfibers were about eight times as abundant as microfragments, and fibers and fragments differed in their distribution patterns, with microfibers most abundant in vegetation-free mudflats and microfragments in vegetated channel edges. Our results demonstrate that vegetated wetlands are important locations for microplastic accumulation and that wetland vegetation and hydrodynamics affect spatial distribution of microplastics between habitats.

Electrohypersensitive people attribute various symptoms to exposure of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF); sleep disturbance is the most frequently cited. However, laboratory experiments have yielded conflicting results regarding sleep alterations. Our hypothesis was that exposure to RF-EMF alone would lead to slight or non-significant effects but that co-exposure to RF-EMFs and other environmental constraints (such as noise) would lead to significant effects.3-week-old male Wistar rats (4 groups, n = 12 per group) were exposed for 5 weeks to continuous RF-EMF (900 MHz, 1.8 V/m, SAR = 30 mW/kg) in the presence or absence of high-level noise (87.5 dB, 50–20000 Hz) during the rest period. After 5 weeks of exposure, sleep (24 h recording), food and water intakes, and body weight were recorded with or without RF-EMF and/or noise. At the end of this recording period, sleep was scored during the 1 h resttime in the absence of noise and of RF-EMF exposure.Exposure to RF-EMF and/or noise was associated with body weight gain, with hyperphagia in the noise-only and RF-EMF + noise groups and hypophagia in the RF-EMF-only group. Sleep parameters recording over 24 h highlighted a higher frequency of active wakefulness in the RF-EMF-only group and a lower non-rapid eye movement/rapid eye movement sleep ratio during the active period in the noise-only group. There were no differences in sleep duration in either group. During the 1-h, constraint-free sleep recording, sleep rebound was observed in the noise-only group but not in the RF-EMF-only and RF-EMF + noise groups.Our study showed effects of RF-EMF, regardless of whether or not the animals were also exposed to noise. However, the RF-EMF + noise group presented no exacerbation of those effects. Our results did not support the hypothesis whereby the effects of RF-EMF on physiological functions studied are only visible in animals exposed to both noise and RF-EMF.