Hydrogel-extraction technique for non-invasive detection of blue fluorescent substances in plant leaves.

This paper reports a new hydrogel extraction technique for detecting blue fluorescent substances in plant leaves. These blue fluorescent substances were extracted by placing a hydrogel film on the leaf of a cherry tomato plant infected with Ralstonia solanacearum; herein, chlorogenic acid was confirmed to be a blue fluorescent substance. The wavelength at the maximum fluorescence intensity of the film after the hydrogel extraction was similar to that of the methanolic extract obtained from the infected cherry tomato leaves.

Association Between What People Learned About COVID-19 Using Web Searches and Their Behavior Toward Public Health Guidelines: Empirical Infodemiology Study.

Background: The use of the internet and web-based platforms to obtain public health information and manage health-related issues has become widespread in this digital age. The practice is so pervasive that the first reaction to obtaining health information is to "Google it." As SARS-CoV-2 broke out in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and quickly spread worldwide, people flocked to the internet to learn about the novel coronavirus and the disease, COVID-19.

Analysis of the Correlation between the Myocardial Expression of DPP-4 and the Clinical Parameters of Patients with Heart Failure.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are widely used as antidiabetic drugs. We recently reported that DPP-4 inhibition has beneficial effects on heart failure (HF) mice model. Furthermore, we confirmed that myocardial DPP-4 activity was significantly increased in HF mice compared with non-HF mice.

Source characterization and risk of exposure to atmospheric polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Ghana.

With recent evidence that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are emerging in environmental media in some developing countries that otherwise have sparing production and usage history, it has become important to identify such contemporary source factors of PCBs and the risks this may pose, in line with the global consensus on POP management and elimination. The present study investigated contaminations from atmospheric PCBs in Ghana, deciphered source factors, and accessed risk of exposure to dioxin-like PCBs (DL-PCBs). Atmospheric PCBs were monitored by deployment of PUF-disk passive air samplers (PAS) at several sites across Ghana for 56 days.

Risk factors for Mycobacterium ulcerans infection (Buruli Ulcer) in Togo ─ a case-control study in Zio and Yoto districts of the maritime region.

Background: Buruli ulcer (BU) is a neglected mycobacterial skin infection caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. This disease mostly affects poor rural populations, especially in areas with low hygiene standards and sanitation coverage. The objective of this study was to identify these risk factors in the districts of Zio and Yoto of the Maritime Region in Togo.

The effects of DPP-4 inhibitor on hypoxia-induced apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are a new class of oral hypoglycemic agents for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and have potential antiatherosclerotic properties. Meanwhile, it is unclear how DPP-4 inhibitors have protective effects on atherosclerosis. Our aim was to determine the effects and its mechanisms of DPP-4 inhibitors on cultured endothelial cells.

Atmospheric monitoring of organochlorine pesticides across some West African countries.

Most African countries have ratified the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and are expected to reduce emissions of POPs such as organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) to the atmosphere. Emerging evidence, however, suggests that there are contemporary sources of OCPs in African countries despite the global ban on these products. This study investigated the atmospheric contamination from OCPs in four West African countries-Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and Cameroon-to ascertain the emission levels of OCPs and the characteristic signatures of contamination.

Deletion of CD28 Co-stimulatory Signals Exacerbates Left Ventricular Remodeling and Increases Cardiac Rupture After Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Inflammatory responses, especially by CD4(+)T cells activated by dendritic cells, are known to be important in the pathophysiology of cardiac repair after myocardial infarction (MI). Although co-stimulatory signals through B7 (CD80/86) and CD28 are necessary for CD4(+)T cell activation and survival, the roles of these signals in cardiac repair after MI are still unclear.

Methods and results: C57BL/6 (Control) mice and CD28 knockout (CD28KO) mice were subjected to left coronary artery permanent ligation.

DPP-4 inhibition has beneficial effects on the heart after myocardial infarction.

Aims: Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are reported to have protective effects on various cells but it is unclear how DPP-4 inhibitors have cardioprotective effects. Our aim was to study the mechanisms of cardioprotective effects by DPP-4 inhibition.

Methods And Results: C57BL/6 mice and DPP-4 knockout (DPP-4KO) mice were subjected to left coronary artery ligation to produce acute myocardial infarction (MI).

Effects of N loading rate on CH4 and N2O emissions during cultivation and fallow periods from forage rice fields fertilized with liquid cattle waste.

The use of liquid cattle waste (LCW) as a fertilizer for forage rice is important for material recycling because it can promote biomass production, and reduce the use of chemical fertilizer. Meanwhile, increase in emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), especially CH4 and N2O would be concerned. We conducted a field study to determine the optimum loading rate of LCW as N to promote forage rice growth with lower GHG emissions.

Global epidemiology of yaws: a systematic review.

Background: To achieve yaws eradication, the use of the new WHO strategy of initial mass treatment with azithromycin and surveillance twice a year needs to be extended everywhere the disease occurs. However, the geographic scope of the disease is unknown. We aimed to synthesise published and unpublished work to update the reported number of people with yaws at national and subnational levels and to estimate at-risk populations.

Influence of nitrogen loading and plant nitrogen assimilation on nitrogen leaching and N₂O emission in forage rice paddy fields fertilized with liquid cattle waste.

Livestock wastewater disposal onto rice paddy fields is a cost- and labor-effective way to treat wastewater and cultivate rice crops. We evaluated the influence of nitrogen loading rates on nitrogen assimilation by rice plants and on nitrogen losses (leaching and N2O emission) in forage rice fields receiving liquid cattle waste (LCW). Four forage rice fields were subjected to nitrogen loads of 107, 258, 522, and 786 kg N ha(-1) (N100, N250, N500, and N750, respectively) using basal fertilizer (chemical fertilizer) (50 kg N ha(-1)) and three LCW topdressings (each 57-284 kg N ha(-1)).

Aqueous acetonitrile extraction for pesticide residue analysis in agricultural products with HPLC-DAD.

To reduce hazardous organic solvent consumption during sample preparation procedures as much as possible, an extraction method of smallest feasible sample volume (5g) using aqueous acetonitrile (MeCN) was developed to extract pesticide residues from agricultural samples prior to HPLC-DAD determination. Extraction with MeCN/water (1:1, v/v), and adjustment of the MeCN concentration by diluting with water after extraction recovered successfully most pesticides showing various physicochemical properties. The matrix effects of tested samples on the proposed method developed herein were generally negligibly-small.

Atmospheric burden of organochlorine pesticides in Ghana.

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are subject to the Stockholm Convention on POPs and have been banned or restricted globally. In Ghana, concerns of illicit applications of some OCPs have been raised in recent times. Applying polyurethane foam (PUF) disk passive air samplers (PAS), the levels of OCPs in the atmosphere and their spatial resolution were investigated.

Reduction of hazardous organic solvent in sample preparation for hydrophilic pesticide residues in agricultural products with conventional liquid chromatography.

An original extraction method using water as an extractant has been established for environmentally friendly sample preparation procedures for hydrophilic pesticides (acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, flonicamid, imidacloprid, methomyl, pymetrozine, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam) in agricultural samples with conventional HPLC. Water-based extraction and cleanup with two solid-phase extraction cartridges can recover target hydrophilic pesticides quantitatively. The matrix effects of tested samples on the proposed method developed herein were negligibly small.

Development of biological soil disinfestations in Japan.

Biological soil disinfestations (BSDs) were developed separately in Japan and in The Netherlands as an alternative to chemical fumigations. In Japan, it was developed based on the knowledge of irrigated paddy rice and upland crop rotation system that was rather tolerant of soil-borne disease development. The methods consist of application of easily decomposable organic matter, irrigation, and covering the soil surface with plastic film, thereby inducing anaerobic (reductive) soil conditions and suppressing many soil-borne pests including fungi, bacteria, nematodes, and weeds.

Contamination of indoor dust and air by polychlorinated biphenyls and brominated flame retardants and relevance of non-dietary exposure in Vietnamese informal e-waste recycling sites.

This study investigated the occurrence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and several additive brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in indoor dust and air from two Vietnamese informal e-waste recycling sites (EWRSs) and an urban site in order to assess the relevance of these media for human exposure. The levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), 1,2-bis-(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) in settled house dust from the EWRSs (130-12,000, 5.4-400, 5.

Rapid and simple immunochemical screening combined with hand-shaking extraction for thiamethoxam residue in agricultural products.

Background: With the aim of expanding the applicability of a kit-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the neonicotinoid insecticide thiamethoxam, the ELISA was newly applied to three kinds of agricultural samples (green pepper, eggplant and spinach). To offer the ELISA as a screening analysis for thiamethoxam residues, a rapid and simple method of extraction by hand-shaking was used, and speed-up and simplification of the sample treatment before the ELISA analysis were examined. Finally, the validity of the ELISA combined with the proposed extraction method was verified against a reference high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method using real-world agricultural samples.

Atmospheric short-chain chlorinated paraffins in China, Japan, and South Korea.

This study presents the first investigation of concentrations and congener group patterns of atmospheric short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) throughout East Asia. Based on an absorption rate calibration experiment, a spatial survey of SCCPs was performed using passive air samplers in China, Japan, and South Korea during two separate periods in 2008. The atmospheric concentrations of SCCPs in China were clearly greater than those in Japan and South Korea, both of which exceed the levels determined for other regions of the world.

Rapid and simple analysis of pesticides persisting on green pepper surfaces swabbing with solvent-moistened cotton.

A rapid and simple nondestructive extraction (NDE) method that includes wiping off of systemic neonicotinoid insecticides has been developed to streamline sample pretreatment procedures conducted before chromatographic determination. Pesticide residues were extracted from green pepper surfaces by swabbing them with absorbent cotton moistened with acetone or acetonitrile. After spraying of pesticides, the extraction rate decreased gradually, except for thiacloprid.

Validation of a commercial ELISA for the analysis of the insecticide dinotefuran in a variety of analytically challenging vegetables.

The main objective of this paper was to assess the suitability of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as a rapid and simple screening method for the detection of neonicotinoid insecticide dinotefuran residues in various vegetable samples including carrot, cabbage, green pepper, leek, Japanese mustard spinach (komatsuna), and spinach. Simple dilution of crude sample extracts was effective to circumvent or reduce matrix interference derived from samples. Consequently, ELISA was useful to determine dinotefuran accurately and directly, only requiring methanol extraction and dilution with water.

Atmospheric polychlorinated naphthalenes in Ghana.

A nationwide monitoring of atmospheric POPs (persistent organic pollutants) was conducted in Ghana between May and July 2010, applying polyurethane foam (PUF) disk passive air samplers (PAS). Reported here are preliminary findings on PCNs, an industrial organic contaminant currently under review for possible listing under the global chemical treaty. The present results constitute the first set of nationwide data on air PCNs from a West African country.

Passive air monitoring of PCBs and PCNs across East Asia: a comprehensive congener evaluation for source characterization.

A comprehensive congener specific evaluation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in the atmosphere was conducted across East Asia in spring 2008, applying polyurethane foam (PUF) disk passive air sampler (PAS) as monitoring device. Mean concentrations derived for Japan, China and Korea were 184 ± 24, 1100 ± 118, and 156 ± 20 pg m(-3) for ∑(202) PCBs, and 9.5 ± 1.

Perfluorinated compounds in the Asian atmosphere.

There is interest in the production, use, and environmental occurrence of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) across Asia and the Asian contributions to the burden of these compounds reaching the Arctic and other remote regions via long-range transport. A spatial survey of perfluorinated compounds was therefore undertaken across China, India, and Japan in 2009 using passive air samplers. Target analytes were fluorotelomer olefins (FTOs), acrylates (FTAs), alcohols (FTOHs), sulfonamides, and sulfonamidoethanols.

Seasonal patterns and current sources of DDTs, chlordanes, hexachlorobenzene, and endosulfan in the atmosphere of 37 Chinese cities.

China has a history of large scale production and application of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) although, data on their nationwide distribution and seasonal variations in the atmosphere is still sparse. Passive air samplers (PAS) were therefore utilized to obtain seasonal data from 37 Chinese cities and three background sites in 2005. Concentrations and spatial and seasonal distribution of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), chlordanes (CHLs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and endosulfans (Endo) are presented in this paper, and their potential sources are discussed based on the dataset.