Rivers at risks: The interplay of "COVID kit" medication misuse and urban waterway contaminants.

This study investigates the environmental impact of the widespread use of "COVID Kit" drugs-azithromycin (AZI), ivermectin (IVE), and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)-in urban rivers of Curitiba in Brazil, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The research focuses on the occurrence and concentrations of these pharmaceuticals in water and sediment samples collected from key urban rivers. Concentrations of AZI, IVE, and HCQ in water ranged from 326 to 3340 ng/L, 130-3340 ng/L, and 304-3314 ng/L, respectively, while in sediment, they ranged from 18 to 249 ng/g, 21-480 ng/g, and 38-673 ng/g, respectively.

Morphophysiological Adaptations of Aquatic Macrophytes in Wetland-Based Sewage Treatment Systems: Strategies for Resilience and Efficiency under Environmental Stress.

There is a common misconception that aquatic macrophytes face significant challenges in wetland-based sewage treatment systems. This study aims to correct this perception by focusing on the crucial morphophysiological adaptations of aquatic macrophytes that enable them to thrive in wetland-based sewage treatment systems, particularly under environmental stress. These adaptations are vital for improving the efficiency and resilience of wastewater treatment processes, offering sustainable solutions in the face of variable environmental conditions and complex contaminant mixtures.

Tracking the surge of psychiatric pharmaceuticals in urban rivers of Curitiba amidst and beyond the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

The heightened contamination of urban rivers with psychiatric drugs poses significant environmental and public health risks due to their persistence and bioaccumulative nature. In this study, we assessed the concentrations of 10 psychiatric medicines in water and sediment samples from three rivers in Curitiba, Brazil, spanning the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic from September 2020 to November 2023. Our analysis revealed substantial variations in drug concentrations across rivers and sampling periods, with fluoxetine and sertraline being the most prevalent in waters (up to 1118 ng L) and sediments (up to 70 ng g DW).

Green solutions for antibiotic pollution: Assessing the phytoremediation potential of aquatic macrophytes in wastewater treatment plants.

We compared the ability of one emergent (Sagittaria montevidensis), two floating (Salvinia minima and Lemna gibba), and one heterophyllous species (Myriophyllum aquaticum) to simultaneously remove sulfamethoxazole, sulfadiazine, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, norfloxacin, levofloxacin, oxytetracycline, tetracycline, doxycycline, azithromycin, amoxicillin, and meropenem from wastewater in a mesocosm-scale constructed wetland over 28 days. Antibiotic concentrations in plants and effluent were analyzed using an LC-MS/MS to assess the removal rates and phytoremediation capacities. M.

Exploring the ecotoxicological impact of meropenem on Lemna minor: Growth, photosynthetic activity, and oxidative stress.

Meropenem is a potent carbapenem antibiotic frequently used in medical settings. Several studies have confirmed the pervasive presence of these antibiotics in wastewater treatment plants and aquatic environments. However, the effects of these substances on non-target organisms, such as plants, have not been adequately monitored.

Emerging threat: Antimicrobial resistance proliferation during epidemics - A case study of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in South Brazil.

The escalating global concern of antimicrobial resistance poses a significant challenge to public health. This study delved into the occurrence of resistant bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes in the waters and sediments of urban rivers and correlated this emergence and the heightened use of antimicrobials during the COVID-19 pandemic. Isolating 45 antimicrobial-resistant bacteria across 11 different species, the study identifies prevalent resistance patterns, with ceftriaxone resistance observed in 18 isolates and ciprofloxacin resistance observed in 13 isolates.

Pharmaceutical-contaminated irrigation water: implications for ornamental plant production and phytoremediation using enrofloxacin-accumulating species.

Enrofloxacin (Enro) has been widely encountered in natural water sources, and that water is often used for irrigation in crop production systems. Due to its phytotoxicity and accumulation in plant tissues, the presence of Enro in water used for crop irrigation may represent economical and toxicological concerns. Here, we irrigated two ornamental plant species (Zantedeschia rehmannii Engl.

COVID-19 pharmaceuticals in aquatic matrices: The threatening effects over cyanobacteria and microalgae.

Water contamination by pharmaceuticals is a global concern due to their potential negative effects on aquatic ecosystems and human health. This study examined the presence of three repositioned drugs used for COVID-19 treatment: azithromycin (AZI), ivermectin (IVE) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in water samples collected from three urban rivers in Curitiba, Brazil, during August and September 2020. We conducted a risk assessment and evaluated the individual (0, 2, 4, 20, 100 and 200 μg.

The phytoremediation capacity of Lemna minor prevents deleterious effects of anti-HIV drugs to nontarget organisms.

We investigated physiological responses of Lemna minor plants and their capacity to remove tenofovir (TNF; 412 ng l), lamivudine (LMV; 5428 ng l) and/or efavirenz (EFV; 4000 ng l) from water through phytoremediation. In addition, the toxicological safety of water contaminated with these drugs after treatment with L. minor plants to photosynthetic microorganisms (Synechococcus elongatus and Chlorococcum infusionum) was evaluated.

Salvinia molesta phytoremediation capacity as a nature-based solution to prevent harmful effects and accumulation of ciprofloxacin in Neotropical catfish.

Phytoremediation has been a potential solution for the removal of pharmaceuticals from water. Here, we evaluated the toxicological safety of ciprofloxacin-contaminated water treated by 96 h with Salvinia molesta. The Neotropical catfish Rhamdia quelen was used as a model, and the potential of the phytoremediation technique for mitigating the drug accumulation in the fishes was also studied.

Alkylphenols cause cytotoxicity and genotoxicity induced by oxidative stress in RTG-2 cell line.

Alkylphenols ethoxylates are industrial surfactants, and the release in the environmental matrices produces degraded products, of which nonylphenol (NP) and octylphenol (OP) were the most common. They can be classified as endocrine disruptors since the estrogenic potential is widely recognized, but some others toxic aspects are in discussion. This study aimed to evaluate the toxicity of NP, OP, and mixtures of both through cellular, biochemical and genetic biomarkers in fish gonadal cell line RTG-2 exposed to nominal concentrations of 0.

Unique microbiome in organic matter-polluted urban rivers.

Approximately half of the global annual production of wastewater is released untreated into aquatic environments, which results in worldwide organic matter pollution in urban rivers, especially in highly populated developing countries. Nonetheless, information on microbial community assembly and assembly-driving processes in organic matter-polluted urban rivers remains elusive. In this study, a field study based on water and sediment samples collected from 200 organic matter-polluted urban rivers of 82 cities in China and Indonesia is combined with laboratory water-sediment column experiments.

Do anti-HIV drugs pose a threat to photosynthetic microorganisms?

We investigated the occurrence and risk assessment of three anti-HIV drugs [(tenofovir (TNF), lamivudine (LMV) and efavirenz (EFV)] in urban rivers from Curitiba (Brazil), as well as the individual and combined effects of their environmental representative concentrations on the freshwater periphytic species Synechococcus elongatus (Cyanobacteria) and Chlorococcum infusionum (Chlorophyta). The three studied drugs, except TNF, were found in 100% of the samples, and concentrations in samples ranged from 165 to 412 ng TNF L, 173-874 ng LMV L and 13-1250 ng EFV L. Bioassays using artificial contaminated water showed that at environmental concentrations, TNF and LMV did not represent environmental risks to the studied photosynthetic organisms.

Physiological responses and phytoremediation capacity of floating and submerged aquatic macrophytes exposed to ciprofloxacin.

Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) water contamination is a global concern, having reached disturbing concentrations and threatening the aquatic ecosystems. We investigated the physiological responses and Cipro-phytoremediation capacity of one floating (Salvinia molesta D.S.

Sublethal biochemical, histopathological and genotoxicological effects of short-term exposure to ciprofloxacin in catfish Rhamdia quelen.

Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) is commonly detected in water worldwide, however, the ecotoxicological effects to aquatic biota is still not fully understood. In this study, using multiple biomarkers, it was investigated sublethal effects of short-term exposure to Cipro concentrations (1, 10 and 100 μg.L) in the Neotropical catfish Rhamdia quelen compared to non-exposure treatment (Control).

The Role of HO-Scavenging Enzymes (Ascorbate Peroxidase and Catalase) in the Tolerance of to Antibiotics: Implications for Phytoremediation.

We investigated the individual and combined contributions of two distinct heme proteins namely, ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT) on the tolerance of plants to antibiotics. For our investigation, we used specific inhibitors of these two HO-scavenging enzymes (-aminophenol, 3-amino,1,2,4-triazole, and salicylic acid). APX activity was central for the tolerance of this aquatic plant to amoxicillin (AMX), whereas CAT activity was important for avoiding oxidative damage when exposed to ciprofloxacin (CIP).

Periphytic Algae and Cyanobacteria from the Rio Doce Basin Respond Differently to Metals and Salinity, Showing Different Potential for Bioremediation.

We have studied the isolated and combined effects of metals (Fe and Mn) and NaCl the on growth, physiology, and metal-uptake capacity of two photosynthetic periphytic species- (Cyanobacteria) and (Chlorophyta)-isolated from an impacted area of the Rio Doce River (Brazil) after the Fundão dam collapse. The effective concentrations found to reduce 10 and 50% growth were 15.2 and 31.

Integrative signaling of hydrogen peroxide and gibberellin on Zn-mediated alleviation of thermodormancy in sorghum seeds.

Increasing global temperatures could result in decreasing crop production by decreasing seed germination in the field due to thermodormancy acquisition. Certain metals appear to modulate seed thermodormancy, although the exact mechanisms of that effect have not yet been elucidated. We report here the effects of Zn on the thermodormancy of sorghum seeds.

Phytoremediation by ornamental plants: a beautiful and ecological alternative.

Phytoremediation is an eco-friendly and economical technology in which plants are used for the removal of contaminants presents in the urban and rural environment. One of the challenges of the technique is the proper destination of the biomass of plants. In this context, the use of ornamental plants in areas under contamination treatment improves landscape, serving as a tourist option and source of income with high added value.

Fertilization assures mineral nutrition but does not overcome the effects of Fe accumulation in plants grown in iron ore tailings.

The rupture of Fundão dam was the biggest environmental disaster of the worlds' mining industry, dumping tons of iron ore tailings into the environment. Studies have shown that the Fundão dam's tailings are poor in nutrients and have high Fe and Mn concentration. In this context, our objective was to evaluate the growth performance of two native tree species (Bowdichia virgilioides and Dictyoloma vandellianum) in two treatments: fertilized soil and fertilized tailings.

Evaluating aquatic macrophytes for removing erythromycin from contaminated water: floating or submerged?

Water contamination by antibiotics is an emerging global problem, with impacts on both public health and the environment. Erythromycin has been encountered in bodies of water throughout the world, which demands the development of efficient remediation technologies. We investigated the physiological responses and phytoremediation capacity of four species of aquatic macrophytes, two floating ( and ) and two submerged ( and ).

Isolated and combined effects of glyphosate and its by-product aminomethylphosphonic acid on the physiology and water remediation capacity of Salvinia molesta.

We evaluate the isolated and combined effects of glyphosate and its by-product aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) and the potential of the aquatic macrophyte Salvinia molesta to remove these chemicals from contaminated water. Plants were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of glyphosate (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 µg l) or AMPA (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 µg l) for seven days. Then, based on the effective concentrations of glyphosate found to reduce photosynthetic rates by 10% (EC) and 50% (EC), the plants were exposed to combinations of 0, 16 and 63.