Among air pollutants, particulate matter (PM) has been identified as a major cause of environmental pollutants due to the advancement of industrial development and the generation of smaller particles. Particulate matter, in particular, is defined only by the size of particles and thus is not enough to study its composition yet. However, edible crops grown in contaminated atmospheres can be contaminated with heavy metals contained in particulate matter in the atmosphere, which can seriously damage food safety. In this study, we investigated the influence of the accumulation of particulate matter on leafy vegetables cultivated at areas with different levels of PM in atmosphere. Four districts of Gyeongsangnam-do were chosen to conduct this experiment: outdoor spaces of three respectively located in industrial, near-highway, and rural areas were considered, and research plant growth chambers at Gyeongsang National University were used as the control. After 3 weeks of cultivation in those conditions, the results showed that Pb in milligrams per kilogram of fresh weight (FW) was 0.383 in Chrysanthemum coronarium and 0.427 in Spinacia oleracea that were grown near the highway, which exceeded the 0.3 mg kg⁻¹ FW standard set by the Republic of Korea, EU, and CODEX. However, when those vegetables were sufficiently washed with tap water, it was confirmed that the heavy metal content fell into the safety standard range.

This study aimed to examine the production and consumption patterns of the tarhana as a green food product and its content in terms of health value in the socio-economic framework by comparing urban and rural households. To be able to assess the tarhana’s health value, the addition of antioxidative parameters was analysed. We obtained the data as a result of a two-part study. The first part of the research included a structured survey conducted between September and December 2015. In the second part, three types of tarhana samples evaluated in terms of their antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content as extractable, hydrolysable, and bioaccessible phenolics to support the claim that homemade tarhana offers higher nutritional potential and healthier content than commercially produced tarhana. Organic and additive-free homemade tarhana samples have great antioxidative potential, also depending on the content and the production pattern. The results of the antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content analyses, and their bioaccessibility revealed that non-fermented homemade tarhana and cranberry-added tarhana stand out, according to production process and content. Our findings showed that participants mostly produced the tarhana at home. In cases where they could not produce it themselves, they supplied it from their family and friends. This result showed us that participants preferred homemade tarhana over industrial tarhana sold in markets. Rural areas mostly consumed tarhana for its economic value. However, tarhana consumption did not decrease in cities. Only the consumption mode and the times have changed.

Recent studies have demonstrated that bisphenol A (BPA) has an adverse or toxic effect on the kidney. This study was designed to evaluate the ability of quercetin (QUER) to prevent BPA-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Thirty-two healthy adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups, as follows: control group (olive oil), BPA group (250 mg/kg), BPA þ QUER group (250 mg/kg + 75 mg/kg), and QUER group (75 mg/kg). All treatments were orally administered for 14 days. Kidney mitochondria were isolated by administration of the different centrifugation method. Uric acid and creatinine were considered to be biomarkers of nephrotoxicity. The ameliorative effects of QUER on BPA toxicity were evaluated by determining the glutathione (GSH) content, CAT, the damage to the mitochondrial membrane, the reactive oxygen species (ROS), and lipid peroxidation (LPO). Administration of BPA significantly decreased kidney weight. In the kidney, BPA can deplete GSH content and CAT activity, increase the mitochondrial ROS formation, and enhances LPO and mitochondrial membrane damage. The pretreatment of mitochondria with QUER has the ability to reduce the toxic effects of BPA in isolated mitochondria. These findings suggest a potential role for QUER in protecting mitochondria from oxidative damage in kidney tissue.

Psoriasis, a skin inflammatory disease, originates from dysregulated interactions of the immune system and environmental factors. In the present study, cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) were analyzed in biological samples (blood and scalp hair) of smoker and nonsmoker males who have mild and severe psoriasis. The patients were evaluated according to criteria based on the standard clinical diagnosis and classified into mild and severe psoriasis groups using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score. Both elements were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry after matrix oxidation. In smoker psoriatic patients, the level of Cd in biological samples was significantly increased. The Zn was significantly decreased in smoker mild and severe psoriatic patients as related to nonsmokers’ referents and patients. The resulted data indicated that the levels of Zn in smoker referents were about 5.0% lower than nonsmoker’s referents. While the concentrations of Zn in blood samples of nonsmoker’s mild and severe psoriatic patients have 17.8 to 33.3% lower than nonsmoker’s referents. The results indicate that the level of Cd in blood samples of referent smokers has ≥ 25% than nonsmokers, whereas the psoriatic patients at different stages have two- to threefold higher Cd in both biological samples.

The original publication of this paper contains a mistake. The correct image of figure 3 is shown in this paper.

Vegetation is an important factor affecting nutrient enrichment ratio in runoff sediments but few studies have been examined in the effects of different vegetation scenarios on the monthly evolutions of particulate nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loss. In this study, a vegetation correction coefficient was innovatively embedded in a dynamic particulate nutrient loss model to evaluate the monthly trends of particulate N and P loss in a small highly erodible watershed. Results indicate that (i) the monthly sediment yield from June to August 2013 accounted for the dominant percentage in this extreme hydrological year, which was consistent with the monthly trends of rainfall erosivity. The largest monthly sediment yield rate under four different vegetation scenarios all occurred in July with the values of 530.56, 258.09, 579.69, and 370.74 t km⁻². (ii) Particulate N and P loss from April to September changed significantly under different vegetation scenarios, and they were mainly concentrated in June and July 2013; only the N and P loss loads in July accounted for > 70% of annual load. However, the loads in January, February, March, October, November, and December were considered as zero because there was no erosive rainfall during the above 6 months. (iii) The reduction efficiency of particulate N and P loss by scenario 1 was about 1.7 times higher than scenario 3, which shows that forestland in sediment reduction was stronger than grassland and cropland in Zhifanggou Watershed. Results provide the underlying insights needed to guide vegetation reconstruction and soil conservation planning in loess hilly regions.

Sustainability of the environment has become pivotal in the modern world, and there have been enormous efforts by the world leaders and organizations to reduce the effects of hazardous production on the environment. This has led companies to implement pro-environment programs and work on sustainability to shift consumption from conventional products to green products. This study incorporates green trust, environmental concerns, and intrinsic religious orientation as a moderator into the theory of planned behavior. It aims to validate the theory of planned behavior and its extended form to predict Pakistani consumers’ eco-conscious behavior, and simultaneously assess the moderating effect of intrinsic religious orientation on consumers’ attitude towards green products. The data for the study was collected from 300 respondents through purposive sampling from Karachi, the metropolitan city of Pakistan. Structural equation model (SEM) was applied to test the proposed hypotheses. The results of SEM indicate that all paths in the model are significant, except the path from attitude towards green products to eco-conscious behavior. The results also indicate that intrinsic religious orientation has no moderating effect on the green trust and attitude towards green products. This study contributes to understand the effects of new constructs in the theory of planned behavior and their relationship with other variables in the model. It also provides theoretical and managerial implications to academics and marketing professionals for understanding and promoting eco-conscious consumer behavior.

Although BPA use is widespread and often detectable in humans, little is known about its exposure levels and potential exposure predictors in pregnant women in China. We investigated the BPA exposure levels in pregnant women and its health implications and potential exposure predictors. Urinary BPA levels were measured for 506 pregnant women in northern China. Hazard quotients (HQs) based on estimated daily intakes (EDIs) were conducted. Sociodemographic characteristics and food consumption during pregnancy were collected and seasons of sample collection were recorded. The detection rate of urinary BPA was 86.6% and the median concentrations were 0.48 μg/L (1.05 μg/g creatinine). The EDI (median = 0.008 μg/kg bw/day) was much lower than the recommended tolerable daily doses and the HQ (median = 0.002) much lower than 1. The urine collected in summer had significantly higher BPA levels than that collected in other seasons (β = 0.225; 95% CI − 0.008, 0.458; p = 0.03). Women “always consuming shellfish” had significantly higher BPA levels than those “seldom consuming shellfish” (β = 0.341; 95% CI 0.022, 0.66; p = 0.04). The study found a wide exposure to BPA among pregnant women in this region, which might be associated with seasonal variation and shellfish consumption. Although the HQs suggested no obvious risk, further attention to the comprehensive exposure and potential determinants should be paid in view of its endocrine-disrupting potential.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are a kind of emerging contaminants, but the information about their pollution profile and ecological risk are still scarce in China. In this study, 31 surface water samples of Haihe River (China) were collected in November 2017, and 11 OPEs were measured, and the ecological risk of OPEs was assessed by means of species sensitivity distribution (SSD) method and assessment factor method. Additionally, Pearson correlation analysis and an international comparison with other rivers in the world were conducted. The results showed that total OPEs ranged from 23.98 to 824.72 ng L⁻¹, and the mean value was 228.70 ng L⁻¹. The concentration of OPEs decreased as follows: Tri(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP) > Tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) > Triethyl phosphate (TEP) > Tributoxyethyl phosphate (TBEP) > Triphenyl phosphate (TPhP) > Tripropyl phosphate (TPrP) > Tri(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP) > 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPP) > Tri(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate (TDCPP) > Tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP) > Tri-m-cresyl phosphate (TMPP). TCPP (19.54–160.82 ng L⁻¹) and TCEP (N.D.-151.99 ng L⁻¹) with the mean value of 76.67 and 53.13 ng L⁻¹ respectively were identified as the richest OPEs in Haihe River. The concentration of OPEs slowly increased in the upper reaches of Haihe River, and it tended to be stable in the middle reaches of Haihe River and decreased rapidly from the downstream to the outer sea. Significantly positive correlations occurred among three chlorinated alkyl OPEs (TCEP, TCPP, and TDCPP), suggesting that they might come from the same source. Based on the comparison, the pollution condition of OPEs in Haihe River was low, and TCEP was found to be the most abundant OPEs in China but it was not that in Europe. The ecological risk assessment on the basis of assessment factor method suggested that the risk of OPEs in Haihe River for algae, crustacean, and fish was limited. In addition, the results of SSD method suggested that the combined ecological risk of four OPEs in Haihe River was also low. This study provides information about the pollution status of OPEs in the surface water of China to some extents and a project for the risk estimation based on SSD for prior and emerging flame retardants.

The standardized precipitation index (SPI) and the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) based on two different methods were calculated using monthly meteorological data from the Yangtze River Basin. According to the completeness and length of dataset, the monthly data of 35 meteorological stations from 1959 to 2017 were applied in this study. The results revealed that the SPEI calculated by the Penman-Monteith (PM) method performed better than the SPI and the SPEI based on the Thornthwaite (TH) method. Since SPEI_PM considered more meteorological factors and detailed physical processes, it obtained the most reasonable and accurate results of drought trends. Using the variations of SPEI_PM to analyze the decadal changes of drought characteristics in the basin, it could be found that 1980–1989 and 1990–1999 were the most humid periods in the basin, while the drought events became more frequent and severe in the recent decade. The spatial distributions of drought trend, duration and frequency indicated that the stations located in the midstream of the river were most prone to drought events, followed by the upper reaches. Our results provided more information for the regions where severe droughts occurred frequently and last longer, and more attention should be paid to these regions in future catchment management.