Identifying pesticides of high concern for ecosystem, plant, animal, and human health: A comprehensive field study across Europe and Argentina.

The widespread and excessive use of pesticides in modern agricultural practices has caused pesticide contamination of the environment, animals, and humans, with confirmed serious health consequences. This study aimed to identify the 20 most critical substances based on an analysis of detection frequency (DF) and median concentrations (MC) across environmental and biological matrices. A sampling campaign was conducted across 10 case study sites in Europe and 1 in Argentina, each encompassing conventional and organic farming systems.

Assessing pesticide residues occurrence and risks in water systems: A Pan-European and Argentina perspective.

Freshwater ecosystems face a particularly high risk of biodiversity loss compared to marine and terrestrial systems. The use of pesticides in agricultural fields is recognized as a relevant stressor for freshwater environments, exerting a negative impact worldwide on the overall status and health of the freshwater communities. In the present work, part of the Horizon 2020 funded SPRINT project, the occurrence of 193 pesticide residues was investigated in 64 small water bodies of distinct typology (creeks, streams, channels, ditches, rivers, lakes, ponds and reservoirs), located in regions with high agricultural activity in 10 European countries and in Argentina.

Pesticide residues with hazard classifications relevant to non-target species including humans are omnipresent in the environment and farmer residences.

Intensive and widespread use of pesticides raises serious environmental and human health concerns. The presence and levels of 209 pesticide residues (active substances and transformation products) in 625 environmental samples (201 soil, 193 crop, 20 outdoor air, 115 indoor dust, 58 surface water, and 38 sediment samples) have been studied. The samples were collected during the 2021 growing season, across 10 study sites, covering the main European crops, and conventional and organic farming systems.

Occurrence of pesticide residues in indoor dust of farmworker households across Europe and Argentina.

Pesticides are widely used as plant protection products (PPPs) in farming systems to preserve crops against pests, weeds, and fungal diseases. Indoor dust can act as a chemical repository revealing occurrence of pesticides in the indoor environment at the time of sampling and the (recent) past. This in turn provides information on the exposure of humans to pesticides in their homes.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic in surgical training of Junior Residents in general surgery.

Background: The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV2 has had a huge impact on our health system. Due to both cancellation of elective surgery and restructuring in departments at most medical centers, surgical residents face a potential training deficit in their specialty.This study aims to objectively analyze and quantify the impact of the pandemic on the surgical activity of residents, in the setting of emergency and elective surgery, to assess whether this period has really supposed a training deficit.

Characterization of hypersensitivity reactions to polysulfone hemodialysis membranes.

Background: In recent years, cases have been reported in which unexpected systemic hypersensitivity reactions occurred in patients dialyzed with polysulfone- or polyethersulfone-biocompatible membranes in the absence of other risk factors. The pathomechanisms involved in these reactions are largely unknown.

Objective: To characterize hypersensitivity reactions to polysulfone hemodialysis using clinical and laboratory data and to identify biomarkers suitable for endotype identification and diagnosis.

Environmental risk assessment of neonicotinoids in surface water.

Neonicotinoids (NNIs) are active substances used as insecticides mainly in plant protection products (PPPs) but also in veterinary applications. The increasing evidence of affecting non-targeted organisms led the European Commission to severely restrict or even ban outdoor uses. To evaluate their current use and their influence in the ecological status of freshwater ecosystem, a total of 19 river water samples were collected to determine the presence of 5 NNIs (acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and thiacloprid) in the Tagus basin.

Investigating the presence of emerging and legacy POPs in European domestic air.

Presence of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and dechlorane plus (DP) were evaluated in indoor domestic air from four European countries (Belgium, Italy, Spain and Portugal). The main pollutants were hexachlorohexanes (sum of α-, β- and γ-HCH; ΣHCHs) and ΣPCBs (sum of PCB-28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153 and 180), with median concentrations of 366 and 306 pg/m, respectively. By decreasing order came hexachlorobenzene (HCB; 130 pg/m), ΣDDXs (sum of DDTs, DDEs and DDDs; 94.

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs): Distribution, trends and aquatic ecological risk assessment in surface water from Tagus River basin (Spain).

Rivers can receive the input of treated or untreated sewage effluents from wastewater treatment plants, urban and industrial discharges and agricultural run-off, becoming an important pathway for the transport and mobilization of pollutants to the oceans. In the present study, the occurrence of 20 PFAAs was determined in the water of Tagus River basin (Spain). PFAAs were detected in 76 out of 92 water samples collected during 5 years (2013-2018), being perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) the predominant compound (<0.

Organophosphate compounds, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and novel brominated flame retardants in European indoor house dust: Use, evidence for replacements and assessment of human exposure.

52 pollutants including organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers (OPs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) were evaluated in household dust from Belgium, Italy and Spain. Pollutant pattern was dominated by ∑OPs (12.8 μg/g; median) followed in decreasing order by ∑PBDEs (229 ng/g), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE, 130 ng/g), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE, 1.

Occurrence and human exposure assessment of perfluorinated substances in house dust from three European countries.

65 house dust samples from three European countries (Belgium, Italy and Spain) were evaluated for the presence of 20 polyflouroalkyl substances (PFASs) including perfluoroalkane sulfonic acids (PFSAs), perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid (PFCAs) and perfluoroalkane sulfonamides (PFOSAs). The three countries presented similar PFAS levels ranging from 3.13 to 155 ng/g (12.

Occurrence of legacy and emerging organic pollutants in whitemouth croakers from Southeastern Brazil.

The whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) is one of the most commercially important species along the Atlantic coast of South America. Moreover, some of its biological traits (long life span, inshore feeding, high trophic position) make this species a suitable sentinel of coastal pollution. Here, we investigated contamination by multiple legacy and emerging organic pollutants, such as brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), in whitemouth croakers from two estuaries (Guanabara and Sepetiba Bays) located in industrialized and urbanized areas in Rio de Janeiro State, Southeastern Brazil.

Environmental risk assessment of perfluoroalkyl substances and halogenated flame retardants released from biosolids-amended soils.

Biosolid application is considered a sustainable management tool as it positively contributes to recycle nutrients and to improve soil properties and fertility. Nevertheless, this waste management technique involves an important input source of emerging organic pollutants in soil. To evaluate the environmental potential risk related to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) due to the biosolid application to soil, a quantitative ecotoxicological risk assessment was conducted.

Uptake of perfluoroalkyl substances and halogenated flame retardants by crop plants grown in biosolids-amended soils.

The bioaccumulation behavior of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) was examined in three horticultural crops and earthworms. Two species, spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), were grown in field soil amended with a single application of biosolids (at agronomic rate for nitrogen), to represent the scenario using commercial biosolids as fertilizer, and the third crop, corn (Zea mays) was grown in spiked soil (~50mg PFOS/kg soil, ~5mg Deca-BDE/kg soil and a mixture of both, ~50mg PFOS and ~5mg Deca-BDE/kg soil) to represent a worst-case scenario.

Bioaccumulation of emerging organic compounds (perfluoroalkyl substances and halogenated flame retardants) by earthworm in biosolid amended soils.

In the present work, the bioaccumulation behavior of 49 target emerging organic compounds (20 perfluoroalkyl substances, PFASs, and 29 halogenated flame retardants, HFRs) was studied in soil invertebrates (Eisenia andrei). Multi species soil systems (MS·3) were used to assess the fate and the effects associated with the application of four biosolids in agricultural soil on terrestrial soil organisms. Biosolid amendment increased concentrations 1.

Time trends of persistent organic pollutants in spanish air.

Passive air samplers consisting of polyurethane foam (PUF) disks were deployed in seven remote points and four urban locations to assess levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and some organochlorine pesticides including: 1,1'-(2,2,2-trichloroethane-1,1-diyl)bis(4-chlorobenzene) (DDT) and their metabolites (1,1-bis-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2-dichloroethene (DDE) and 1-chloro-4-[2,2-dichloro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]benzene (DDD)), hexaclorobenzene (HCB) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), in the Spanish ambient air. Results revealed HCB (49 pg m(-3); median) as the major pollutant, followed in decreasing order by HCHs (21 pg m(-3)), ∑DDT/E/Ds (20 pg m(-3)), PCBs (20 pg m(-3)), PBDEs (3.3 pg m(-3)) and PCDD/Fs (0.

Clinical, biochemical, molecular and therapeutic aspects of 2 new cases of 2-aminoadipic semialdehyde synthase deficiency.

Our aim was to report two new cases of hyperlysinemia type I describing the clinical, biochemical and molecular features of the disease and the outcome of lysine restriction. Two children presented with febrile seizures followed by developmental delay, clumsiness and epilepsy. At age 2 and 8 years a biochemical and genetic diagnosis of hyperlysinemia type I was confirmed and lysine-restricted diet was started in both cases.

High accumulation of PCDD, PCDF, and PCB congeners in marine mammals from Brazil: a serious PCB problem.

Blubber samples from three delphinid species (false killer whale, Guiana and rough-toothed dolphin), as well as liver samples from franciscana dolphins were analyzed for dioxins and related compounds (DRCs). Samples were collected from 35 cetaceans stranded or incidentally captured in a highly industrialized and urbanized area (Southeast and Southern Brazilian regions). Dioxin-like PCBs accounted for over 83% of the total TEQ for all cetaceans.

Analysis of perfluorinated alkyl substances in Spanish sewage sludge by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

The present article describes the development of an analytical method for the determination of 13 perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), as well as its application to real sewage sludge samples to confirm the presence of these compounds. The isolation of the analytes was performed by agitation, sonication and centrifugation techniques, followed by EnviCarb cleanup and weak anion exchange solid-phase extraction. Sensitive and selective determination was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS).

In vitro cellular responses in the RTG-2 cell line to complex mixtures of dioxins and dioxin-like PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs.

High-resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HRGC/MS) is the standard method for analysing dioxin, furan and polybrominated retardants in hazardous waste. Determination of dioxin-like compounds using in vitro bioassays such as ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) is an important tool to evaluate their Ah receptor-mediated toxic effects, because it detects all arylhydrocarbon receptor ligands in a variety of sample matrices. In the present work, we compared RTG-2 cell line EROD bioassay with HRGC/MS for assessing waste samples (liquid and solid) contaminated with polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, polychlorinated biphenyls (dioxin-like PCBs) and other xenobiotics.

Effect of hemodialysis schedules and membranes on hepatocyte growth factor and hepatitis C virus RNA levels.

Hemodialysis induces production of the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and decrease of serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in patients with HCV infection, but it is not known if the hemodialysis schedule or type of membrane affect both the HGF production and HCV viremia. The effects on both parameters of alternate-day intermittent hemodialysis and short-daily hemodialysis and high and low flux membranes were investigated in 41 patients treated by hemodialysis. Sixteen (39%) patients were anti-HCV positive and 11 (69%) had HCV RNA.

Hyperglycemia induces apoptosis in rat liver through the increase of hydroxyl radical: new insights into the insulin effect.

In this study, we analyzed the contribution of hydroxyl radical in the liver apoptosis mediated by hyperglycemia through the Bax-caspase pathway and the effects of insulin protection against the apoptosis induced by hyperglycemia. Male adult Wistar rats were randomized in three groups: control (C) (sodium citrate buffer, i.p.

Distribution and biological impact of dioxin-like compounds in risk zones along the Ebro River basin (Spain).

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the environmental impact associated to PCDDs/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in the Ebro River basin. Sediments and fish from several species were sampled at three sites with different historical pollution records, including the Barbastro area with different industrial activities, and the Flix and Monzón sites, associated to heavy organochlorine compound pollution. Seventeen toxic PCDDs/Fs and 12 dioxin-like PCBs were analyzed by GC-MS.

Evaluation of the Spanish hot dip galvanising sector as a source of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans.

A survey to estimate the polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) emissions of Spanish hot dip galvanising sector was carried out during 2002. This investigation is the first presenting Spanish experimental data related to this industrial sector. Three different matrices: flue gas, ash and filter dust were tested to quantify the PCDD/Fs generated during the galvanising process.