We investigated in this study the relationship between exposure to para-dichlorobenzene (p-DCB), measured as urinary concentrations of 2,5-dichlorophenol (2,5-DCP), and metabolic syndrome in non-diabetic adult participants. A nationally representative subsample of 1706 non-diabetic adult participants aged 20–79 years randomly selected for measurement of urinary concentrations of 2,5-DCP in the 2007–2010 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was analyzed. A dose-dependent increase in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was observed in the study participants across quartiles of urinary 2,5-DCP (p-trend = 0.0025). After adjusting for potential confounders, individuals in the third and fourth quartile of urinary 2,5-DCP had 1.47 (95 % CI 1.02, 2.14) and 1.56 (95 % CI 1.10, 2.23) increased odds of metabolic syndrome, respectively, compared with individuals with the lowest quartile. Of the five components of metabolic syndrome, waist circumference and HDL-cholesterol showed a significant and monotonic association with urinary 2,5-DCP. Participants with the highest quartile of 2,5-DCP had 3.18 cm (95 % CI 1.34, 5.02) higher mean waist circumference and 2.83 mg/dL (95 % CI −4.68, −0.98) lower mean HDL-cholesterol than the participants in the lowest quartile. This study suggests a potential relationship between p-DCB exposure and metabolic syndrome in non-diabetic adults. Prospective epidemiological and mechanistic studies are needed to further explore these interactions.

Recent studies identified polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) sulfate esters as a major product of PCB metabolism. Since hydroxy-PCBs (HO-PCBs), the immediate precursors of PCB sulfates and important contributors to PCB toxicity, were shown to have estrogenic activity, we investigated the estrogenicity/androgenicty of a series of PCB sulfate metabolites. We synthesized the five possible structural sulfate monoester metabolites of PCB 3, a congener shown to be biotransformed to sulfates, a sulfate ester of the paint-specific congener PCB 11, and sulfate monoesters of two HO-PCBs reported to interact with sulfotransferases (PCB 39, no ortho chlorines, and PCB 53, 3 ortho chlorines). We tested these PCB sulfates and 4′-HO-PCB 3 as positive control for estrogenic, androgenic, anti-estrogenic, and anti-androgenic activity in the E- and A-screen with human breast cancer MCF7-derived cells at 100 μM–1 pM concentrations. Only 4′-HO-PCB 3 was highly cytotoxic at 100 μM. We observed structure-activity relationships: compounds with a sulfate group in the chlorine-containing ring of PCB 3 (2PCB 3 and 3PCB 3 sulfate) showed no interaction with the estrogen (ER) and androgen (AR) receptor. The 4′-HO-PCB 3 and its sulfate ester had the highest estrogenic effect, but at 100-fold different concentrations, i.e., 1 and 100 μM, respectively. Four of the PCB sulfates were estrogenic (2′PCB 3, 4′PCB 3, 4′PCB 39, and 4′PCB 53 sulfates; at 100 μM). These sulfates and 3′PCB 3 sulfate also exhibited anti-estrogenic activity, but at nM and pM concentrations. The 4′PCB 3 sulfate (para-para′ substituted) had the strongest androgenic activity, followed by 3′PCB 3, 4′PCB 53, 4PCB11, and 4PCB 39 sulfates and the 4′HO-PCB 3. In contrast, anti-androgenicity was only observed with the two compounds that have the sulfate group in ortho- or meta- position in the second ring (2′PCB 3 and 3′PCB 3 sulfate). No dose–response was observed in any screen, but, with exception of estrogenic activity (only seen at 100 μM), endocrine activity was often displayed at several concentrations and even at 1 pM concentration. These data suggest that sulfation of HO-PCBs is indeed reducing their cytotoxicity and estrogenicity, but may produce other endocrine disruptive activities at very low concentrations.

Seventy eight out of the 209 possible polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners are chiral, 19 of which exist under ambient conditions as stable rotational isomers that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other. These congeners (C-PCBs) represent up to 6 % by weight of technical PCB mixtures and undergo considerable atropisomeric enrichment in wildlife, laboratory animals, and humans. The objective of this review is to summarize our current knowledge of the processes involved in the absorption, metabolism, and excretion of C-PCBs and their metabolites in laboratory animals and humans. C-PCBs are absorbed and excreted by passive diffusion, a process that, like other physicochemical processes, is inherently not atropselective. In mammals, metabolism by cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes represents a major route of elimination for many C-PCBs. In vitro studies demonstrate that C-PCBs with a 2,3,6-trichlorosubstitution pattern in one phenyl ring are readily oxidized to hydroxylated PCB metabolites (HO-PCBs) by P450 enzymes, such as rat CYP2B1, human CYP2B6, and dog CYP2B11. The oxidation of C-PCBs is atropselective, thus resulting in a species- and congener-dependent atropisomeric enrichment of C-PCBs and their metabolites. This atropisomeric enrichment of C-PCBs and their metabolites likely plays a poorly understood role in the atropselective toxicity of C-PCBs and, therefore, warrants further investigation.

Aeromonas species are broadly distributed in nature and agricultural environments and have been isolated from feces, bedding, and drinking water of healthy pigs. We assessed the incidence, virulence properties, and antimicrobial resistance profile of Aeromonas spp., isolated from pig feces. Antibiogram was done using the disc diffusion methods, and polymerase chain reaction was used for the detection of putative virulence genes. Identification of isolates revealed three phenotypic species with percentage distribution as follows: Aeromonas hydrophila 23 (45.1 %), Aeromonas caviae 16 (31.4 %), and Aeromonas sobria 12 (23.5 %). All Aeromonas isolates in the study were absolutely susceptible to cefotaxime and resistant to penicillin. A. cavaie and A. sobria demonstrated absolute susceptibility against ciprofloxacin and streptomycin. Aeromonas species showed varied susceptibility to cephalothin as follows: A. hydrophila 78.3 %, A. cavaie 93.7 %, and A. sobria 91.7 %. The percentage distribution of virulence genes among Aeromonas isolates were as follows: Aerolysin (aer) 74.5 %, flagellin gene (fla) 68.6 %, cytotoxin (hly A) 43.1 %, lipase (lip) 39.2 %, enterotoxic activities (ast) 31.3 %, and cytotonic gene (alt) 13.7 %. Reports from this study shows that Aeromonas species isolated from pig fecal samples are multi-drug resistant and possess virulence potential which may result to possible risk of human or animal infection and likely contamination of food and water from this sources.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TNPs) are widely used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. It is used for protection against UV exposure due to its light-scattering properties and high refractive index. Though TNPs are increasingly used, the synthesis of TNPs is tedious and time consuming; therefore, in the present study, microwave-assisted hybrid chemical approach was used for TNP synthesis. In the present study, we demonstrated that TNPs can be synthesized only in 2.5 h; however, the commonly used chemical approach using muffle furnace takes 5 h. The activity of TNP depends on the synthetic protocol; therefore, the present study also determined the effect of microwave-assisted hybrid chemical approach synthetic protocol on microbial and cytotoxicity. The results showed that TNP has the best antibacterial activity in decreasing order from Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus. The IC₅₀ values of TNP for HCT116 and A549 were found to be 6.43 and 6.04 ppm, respectively. Cell death was also confirmed from trypan blue exclusion assay and membrane integrity loss was observed. Therefore, the study determines that the microwave-assisted hybrid chemical approach is time-saving; hence, this technique can be upgraded from lab scale to industrial scale via pilot plant scale. Moreover, it is necessary to find the mechanism of action at the molecular level to establish the reason for greater bacterial and cytotoxicological toxicity. Graphical abstract A graphical representation of TNP synthesis.

A heterogeneous Fenton catalyst Ce⁰–Fe⁰-reduced graphene oxide (Ce–Fe–RGO) was synthesized with chemical reduction methods and used for degradation of sulfamethazine. The introduction of Ce and graphene increased the dispersibility of iron particles which was confirmed by SEM and TEM. The results of VSM analysis showed good magnetism of Ce–Fe–RGO. The catalyst performance was compared with other kinds of catalysts (Fe⁰ and Ce⁰–Fe⁰) for degradation of sulfamethazine. The results showed that Ce⁰–Fe–RGO had good catalytic performance and adsorption. X-ray diffraction showed the change of iron oxide on catalyst surface after use. The total sulfur (TS), total nitrogen (TN), total organic carbon (TOC), and intermediates, such as small organic molecular and anion ions, were analyzed by IC under different pH conditions. Finally, the possible catalytic mechanism was tentatively proposed based on inhibitor experimental results and XPS characterization. The main active species was hydroxyl radical on catalyst surface and the transition between Ce³⁺ and Ce⁴⁺ which enhanced the reduction from Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺ and formation of ·OH and ·O₂ ⁻.

Cadmium (Cd) contaminated in rice grains is a serious problem because most Asians consume rice on a daily basis. Rice grown in Cd-contaminated soil normally did not have high concentration of Cd. However, soil samples used in this study had high concentrations of Cd. The purpose of this study was to clearly see the effects of biochar and microorganism addition in rice growing in Cd-contaminated soil. The initial Cd concentration in Cd-contaminated soil used in this study was about 650 mg kg⁻¹. Cadmium concentration in rice plants grown in Cd-contaminated soil with the addition of 1 % (w/w) different biochars such as sawdust fly ash (SDFA), bagasse fly ash (BGFA), and rice husk ash (RHA) was investigated. The results showed that SDFA was the best biochar in terms of reducing cadmium accumulation in rice grains when compared to BGFA and RHA under the same conditions. In addition, rice plants grown in Cd-contaminated soil with the addition of various nonpathogenic microorganisms, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, and Beauveria bassiana were also studied. The results showed that the addition of 2 % (v/v) microorganisms can reduce Cd accumulation in grains. It was found that grains obtained from Cd-contaminated soil with the addition of P. aeruginosa had the lowest cadmium concentration compared to the ones from soil amended with other strains. This was due to the fact that P. aeruginosa adsorbed more Cd itself into its cells than other strains. The rice plants grown in Cd-contaminated soil with the addition of biochars and microorganisms were also compared. The results showed that adding 2 % (v/v) microorganisms seemed to reduce Cd accumulation in rice grains better than adding 1 % (w/w) biochars. In addition, the amounts of calcium and magnesium in rice grains and the dry weight of plant in Cd-contaminated soil amended with P. aeruginosa were the highest in comparison to other microorganisms, biochars, and the soil without any amendments (Cd-soil control). It might be possible that microorganisms can cause leaching of Ca, Mg, etc. from contaminated soil and compete with Cd to be uptaken by plants. This would cause the increase in plant dry weight and higher mineral nutrients accumulation in grains. Both biochars and microorganisms are suitable for reducing the amount of Cd in rice grains. The application should depend on farmers, biochars available in nearby areas, etc. Therefore, microorganisms and biochars can be used to solve the problem of cadmium contamination in rice grains.

We monitored cryptic herpetofauna at Savannas Preserve State Park, Florida, by combining artificial cover counts with a quantitative paradigm for constructing and calculating population indices. Weekly indices were calculated from two consecutive days of data collection each week for 7 months from mid-winter to mid-summer in three habitats. Seventeen species were observed at least once, and time trends using index values were followed for six species. Among these, abundance and seasonal pattern information were obtained for an exotic species (greenhouse frog) and a species identified by the Florida Committee on Rare and Endangered Plants and Animals as threatened (Florida scrub lizard). We identified winter as the optimal time in this area to monitor populations for conducting annual assessments. This combined observation and indexing approach could provide managers or researchers with an economical means to quantitatively index population trends for multiple cryptic herpetofauna species simultaneously. Using artificial cover to sample within a population indexing design can be generalized beyond monitoring herpetofauna. Other forms of artificial cover that can be used as observation stations include aquatic artificial substrates, artificial tree cavities, artificial reefs, and other artificial aquatic structures and artificial sea grass units, among many others, and a wide range of taxa are suitable for population monitoring using artificial cover as observation stations in the approach we present, including insects, soil invertebrates, micro and macro aquatic invertebrates, fish, crustaceans, and small mammals.

Health risk assessments generally involve many extrapolations: for example, from animals to humans or from high doses to lower doses. Health risk assessments for PCBs involve all the usual uncertainties, plus additional uncertainties due to the nature of PCBs as a dynamic, complex mixture. Environmental processes alter PCB mixtures after release into the environment, so that people are exposed to mixtures that might not resemble the mixtures where there are toxicity data. This paper discusses the evolution of understanding in assessments of the cancer and noncancer effects of PCBs. It identifies where a lack of data in the past contributed to significant uncertainty and where new data subsequently altered the prevailing understanding of the toxicity of PCB mixtures, either qualitatively or quantitatively. Finally, the paper identifies some uncertainties remaining for current PCB health assessments, particularly those that result from a lack of data on exposure through nursing or on effects from inhalation of PCBs.

The results of an inter-laboratory comparison exercise to determine cytostatic anticancer drug residues in surface water, hospital wastewater and wastewater treatment plant effluent are reported. To obtain a critical number of participants, an invitation was sent out to potential laboratories identified to have the necessary knowledge and instrumentation. Nine laboratories worldwide confirmed their participation in the exercise. The compounds selected (based on the extent of use and laboratories capabilities) included cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, 5-fluorouracil, gemcitabine, etoposide, methotrexate and cisplatinum. Samples of spiked waste (hospital and wastewater treatment plant effluent) and surface water, and additional non-spiked hospital wastewater, were prepared by the organising laboratory (Jožef Stefan Institute) and sent out to each participant partner for analysis. All analytical methods included solid phase extraction (SPE) and the use of surrogate/internal standards for quantification. Chemical analysis was performed using either liquid or gas chromatography mass (MS) or tandem mass (MS/MS) spectrometry. Cisplatinum was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A required minimum contribution of five laboratories meant that only cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, methotrexate and etoposide could be included in the statistical evaluation. z-score and Q test revealed 3 and 4 outliers using classical and robust approach, respectively. The smallest absolute differences between the spiked values and the measured values were observed in the surface water matrix. The highest within-laboratory repeatability was observed for methotrexate in all three matrices (CV ≤ 12 %). Overall, inter-laboratory reproducibility was poor for all compounds and matrices (CV 27–143 %) with the only exception being methotrexate measured in the spiked hospital wastewater (CV = 8 %). Random and total errors were identified by means of Youden plots.