Plants growing on polluted soils need to control the bioavailability of pollutants to reduce their toxicity. This study aims to reveal processes occurring at the soil-root interface of Pistacia lentiscus L. growing on the highly Zn-contaminated tailings of Campo Pisano mine (SW Sardinia, Italy), in order to shed light on possible mechanisms allowing for plant adaptation. The study combines conventional X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with advanced synchrotron-based techniques, micro-X-ray fluorescence mapping (μ-XRF) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Data analysis elucidates a mechanism used by P. lentiscus L. as response to high Zn concentration in soil. In particular, P. lentiscus roots take up Al, Si and Zn from the rhizosphere minerals in order to build biomineralizations that are part of survival strategy of the species, leading to formation of a Si-Al biomineralization coating the root epidermis. XAS analysis rules out Zn binding to organic molecules and indicates that Zn coordinates Si atoms stored in root epidermis leading to the precipitation of an amorphous Zn-silicate. These findings represent a step forward in understanding biological mechanisms and the resulting behaviour of minor and trace elements during plant-soil interaction and will have significant implications for development of phytoremediation techniques.

Exposure to environmental estrogens and other endocrine-active chemicals can impact reproduction of freshwater fishes. While extensive data exists regarding the effect of estrogens on standard laboratory species, little is known about the sensitivity of freshwater fishes native to North America to these compounds. Current testing strategies for the toxicological assessment of contaminants still rely heavily on studies with live animals, which poses increasing concerns from an economical and ethical perspective. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the sensitivity of four native species, namely, northern pike (Esox lucius), walleye (Sander vitreus), white sucker (Catostomus commersoni), and juvenile white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), to an environmental estrogen, 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), using an in vitro tissue explant approach. Transcript abundances of vitellogenin (VTG) as well as the estrogen receptors (ER) α and β were used as the measuring endpoints as they represent well established biomarkers previously used to assess exposure to estrogens. Transcript abundance of VTG was upregulated in a concentration-dependent manner in each species. Liver explants of male walleye were found to have the greatest sensitivity to EE2, with a lowest observable effect concentration of 300 ng/L (1.0 nM) for VTG transcript abundance, with juvenile white sturgeon having the greatest magnitude of VTG transcript upregulation in exposed tissue (15-fold relative to control). Exposure of liver explants to EE2 resulted in no alteration in transcript abundance of ERβ, whereas upregulation of ERα was observed in northern pike only. Based on in vitro expression of VTG, the species tested were among the species with greatest sensitivity to environmental estrogens tested to date.

Analysis of diurnal patterns of surface ozone (O₃) at multiple urban sites in the UK shows the occurrence of prominent nocturnal enhancements during the winter months (November–March). Whilst nocturnal surface ozone (NSO) enhancement events have been observed at other locations, this is the first time that such features have been demonstrated to occur in the UK and the second location globally. The observed NSO enhancement events in the UK were found to be so prevalent that they are clearly discernible in monthly diurnal cycles averaged over several years of data. Long-term (2000–2010) analysis of hourly surface ozone data from 18 urban background stations shows a bimodal diurnal variation during the winter months with a secondary nighttime peak around 0300 hours along with the primary daytime peak. For all but one site, the daily maxima NSO concentrations during the winter months exceeded 60 μg/m³ on >20 % of the nights. The highest NSO value recorded was 118 μg/m³. During the months of November, December, and January, the monthly averaged O₃ concentrations observed at night (0300 h) even exceeded those observed in the daytime (1300 h). The analysis also shows that these NSO enhancements can last for several hours and were regional in scale, extending across several stations simultaneously. Interestingly, the urban sites in the north of the UK exhibited higher NSO than the sites in the south of the UK, despite their daily maxima being similar. In part, this seems to be related to the sites in the north typically having lower concentrations of nitrogen oxides.

Two examples of the creation of naturalized areas in the littoral zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir in the urban core of Chongqing City, China, are described. The areas were created for the purpose of restoring ecological functions and services. Plants were selected based on surveys of natural wetland vegetation in the region, and experiments were conducted to discover the capacity of species of interest to survive the sometimes extreme hydrological regimes at the sites. Novel methods were developed to stabilize the plants against the rigors of extreme summer floods and constant swash, notably zigzag berms of rocks wrapped in iron mesh. The areas include native reeds, grasses, shrubs, and trees. Plant communities in the areas are zoned according to flooding stress, and their structure is less stable at lower elevations that are subjected to greater stress. The tall grass Saccharum spontaneum (widespread in Southern Asia) and the tree Pterocarya stenoptera (native to Southwest China) are notable for their utility at these sites in the center of a large city. Communities of tall reeds and grasses have become so dense and stable that they now provide the ecosystem services of capturing river sediments and resisting erosion of the river banks. It is recommended that extensive greening of the riparian zones in urban areas of the Three Gorges Reservoir be conducted for the purpose of providing ecosystem services, based in part on the experiences described here.

Cadmium is a ubiquitous carcinogenic pollutant with multiple biological effects. Both observational and experimental studies have suggested associations between cadmium and the rates of many types of cancers. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether cadmium exposure is associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in a population with a relatively high prevalence in southeast China. Hospital-based 134 NPC cases and 132 cancer-free controls were recruited from a cancer hospital in Chaoshan area, southeast of China. Basic clinical data and information of lifetime styles, smoking, and drinking as well as other demographic characteristics were also collected from medical records. Blood cadmium levels (BCLs) were detected by graphite-furnace atomizer absorption spectrophotometer (GFAAS). BCLs and over-limit ratios between cases and controls were compared. The relationships between BCLs and NPC were explored by comparing BCLs differences between/among different characteristics of related factors and logistic regression analysis. In addition, BCLs within cases were also compared in relation to the disease clinical stages, pathological types, and metastasis. The median concentration of blood cadmium in cases (3.84, interquartile range 2.21–6.10) was significantly higher than that of controls (2.28, interquartile range 1.79–3.45). The over-limit ratio (≥5 μg/L) in cases was also higher than that in controls (35.1 vs. 13.6 %, χ ² = 16.55, p < 0.001). Smokers tended to have high levels of cadmium burden, and smokers with longer smoking pack-years in cases had relatively higher BCLs (p = 0.001). NPC patients with diseases history presented lower cadmium burden (p = 0.020). In the NPC cases, BCLs were positively associated with clinical stages and N classification (r = 0.193, 0.187, respectively, p < 0.05). Cadmium seems to be a risk factor of NPC, and high cadmium exposure may promote the occurrence and development of NPC.

Despite growing evidence that bacteria, fungi, allergens, and superantigens play a prominent role in the pathophysiology of nasal polyps (NP), the exact cause of polyposis is still unknown. The etiology of NP is considered multifactorial. Until now, there is no information on the presence of heavy metals, such as cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and arsenic (As) or of their role, in the pathogenesis of NP disease. In this study, concentrations of these four metals in tissue of NP were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. The Ni, Cr, and As levels in NP tissues were 2.1-, 3.2-, and 8.0-fold higher than those of normal mucosa (p < 0.05), respectively. A strong effect of cumulative smoking as expressed in the number of pack per year (PY), Ni, As, and Cd levels in NP tissue samples of patients ever-smokers (1–20 and >20 PY) are significantly higher than those of non-smokers (p = 0.006, 0.002, and < 0.001, respectively). The highest As concentrations among patients lived at polluted areas (1–25 and > 25 years) were observed in both nasal mucosa and NP tissues. The Ni and As in both nasal mucosa and NP tissues of patients occupationally exposed were significantly higher than non-exposed group. Cr and As levels were found to be associated with NP stage classification (p < 0.05). This is the first report to describe an association between concentrations of metals (Cr, As, and Ni) in human NP tissues and the risk of NP disease. Tissue metal levels have increased due to smoking, environmental, and occupational exposure. Therefore, heavy metal exposure may increase the risk of NP in the Tunisian population. The considerable risk in the category of highest cumulative exposure argues for an association between heavy metals exposure and nasal polyposis risk. Future investigations with larger samples should better elucidate this association.

Geographical variation in chemical tolerance within a species can significantly influence results of whole animal bioassays, yet a literature survey showed that the majority of articles using bioassays did not provide detail on the original field collection site of their test specimens confounding the ability for accurate replication and comparison of results. Biological variation as a result of population-specific tolerance, if not addressed, can be misinterpreted as experimental error. Our studies of two marine copepod species, Tigriopus japonicus and Tigriopus californicus, found significant intra- and inter-specific variation in tolerance to copper and tributyltin. Because both species tolerate copper concentrations orders of magnitude higher than those found in coastal waters, difference in copper tolerance may be a by-product of adaptation to other stressors such as high temperature. Controlling for inter-population tolerance variation will greatly strengthen the application of bioassays in chemical toxicity tests.

The hydrophilic metabolome of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) adapted to grow in naphthalene-treated sand (0.8 g kg⁻¹sand dw) was analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and peaks corresponding to the more abundant compounds were tentatively identified from analysis of their mass spectral features and reference to the NIST Mass Spectral Database. Particular attention was paid to sugars as they are known to play important roles as stress regulators in plants. The results showed that the abundance of sugars was greater in the roots but lesser in the shoots of treated plants when compared to their control counterparts. The results for indole acetic acid (IAA) were notable: IAA was prominently less in the treated roots compared to shoots, and in treated shoots, IAA was particularly subdued compared to untreated shoots consistent with IAA degradation in treated plant tissues. The differences in the molecular phenotype between control and treated plants were expressed in root structural differences. The treated roots were modified to have greater suberisation, enhanced thickening in the endodermis and distortions in the cortical zone as demonstrated through scanning electron and epi-fluorescence microscopy.

Little is monitored on perceived neighborhood noise, quality of drinking water, air quality, rubbish, traffic, etc. at a continental scale. This study was aimed to examine the relationships of such neighborhood risks and mental health in adults and the very old in an international and population-based setting across Europe. Data were retrieved from the European Quality of Life Survey, 2007–2012 including demographics, living conditions, income and financial situation, housing and local environment, family, work, health, social participation and quality of social services. Adults aged 18 and above were included for statistical analysis (n = 79,270). Analysis included chi-square test, t test and logistic regression modeling. People who lived in town or city tended to indicate certain major problems for them such as noise (odds ratio (OR) 2.34, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 2.17–2.53, P < 0.001), air quality (OR 2.76, 95 % CI 2.54–3.00, P < 0.001), low quality of drinking water (OR 1.33, 95 % CI 1.23–1.43, P < 0.001), crime and/or violence (OR 2.92, 95 % CI 2.68–3.19, P < 0.001), rubbish (OR 3.68, 95 % CI 3.41–3.97, P < 0.001) and traffic congestion (OR 2.64, 95 % CI 2.45–2.85, P < 0.001). People who reported major problems on noise (OR 2.19, 95 % CI 1.96–2.45, P < 0.001), air quality (OR 2.11, 95 % CI 1.87–2.37, P < 0.001), low quality of drinking water (OR 2.40, 95 % CI 2.14–2.68, P < 0.001), crime and/or violence (OR 2.13, 95 % CI 1.88–2.41, P < 0.001), rubbish (OR 1.98, 95 % CI 1.77–2.11, P < 0.001) and traffic congestion (OR 1.50, 95 % CI 1.34–1.68, P < 0.001) were also classified as having depression. Perceived neighborhood conditions were associated with adult mental health across Europe. Future neighborhood monitoring research moving from the etiological to neighborhood management would be suggested.

A total of 59 samples consisting of 45 topsoils samples and 14 subsoils samples were collected from urban soils of Donggang and were analyzed for soil properties and 12 trace elements. The mean contents of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, V, and Zn in topsoils were 5.76, 0.20, 9.88, 44.82, 17.69, 0.05, 578.96, 19.98, 28.38, 0.21, 58.88, and 58.32 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. The mean enrichment factor results suggested that Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu, Se, and Zn were enriched in topsoils compared with subsoils. Spatial distribution maps of trace elements indicated that Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu, Se, and Zn had similar patterns, with the highest values in the industrial region. There were no significant associations displayed between spatial distributions of As, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, and V and the industrial region. Through correlation analysis, stepwise regression analysis, and redundancy analysis, three main sources of 12 trace elements were identified. Cd, Hg, and Se originated from industrial emissions and coal combustion, and As, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, and V had a lithogenic origin. The combination of human activities and natural sources contributed to the contents of Cu, Pb, and Zn, and the human activities included industrial and traffic emissions.