Bringing sex toys out of the dark: exploring unmitigated risks.

Unlabelled: A majority of American adults report having used sex toys, which, by design, interact with intimate and permeable body parts yet have not been subject to sufficient risk assessment or management. Physical and chemical data are presented examining potential risks associated with four types of currently available sex toys: anal toy, beads, dual vibrator, and external vibrator. A standardized abrasion machine made real-time breakdown of products into microplastics and nanoplastics.

Harnessing a decade of data to inform future decisions: Insights into the ongoing hydrocarbon release at Taylor Energy's Mississippi Canyon Block 20 (MC20) site.

The release of oil and gas at Mississippi Canyon Block 20 into the Gulf of Mexico has vexed response officials since 2004 when a regional seafloor failure toppled the Taylor Energy Company platform. Despite the completion of nine intervention wells, releases continue from the seafloor, mostly captured by a recently installed containment system. Toward informing resolution, this work applies chemical forensic and statistical analyses to surface sheens, sediments, and reservoir oil samples.

Distribution of the Specialist Aphid Uroleucon nigrotuberculatum (Homoptera: Aphididae) in Response to Host Plant Semiochemical Induction by the Gall Fly Eurosta solidaginis (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Many plants use terpenoids and other volatile compounds as semiochemicals. Reception of plant volatiles by conspecifics may trigger a defensive phytochemical response. These same compounds can also function as host recognition signals for phytophagous insects.

Hurricane Isaac brings more than oil ashore: Characteristics of beach deposits following the Deepwater Horizon spill.

Prior to Hurricane Isaac making landfall along the Gulf of Mexico coast in August 2012, local and state officials were concerned that the hurricane would mobilize submerged oiled-materials from the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill. In this study, we investigated materials washed ashore following the hurricane to determine if it affected the chemical composition or density of oil-containing sand patties regularly found on Gulf Coast beaches. While small changes in sand patty density were observed in samples collected before and after the hurricane, these variations appear to have been driven by differences in sampling location and not linked to the passing of Hurricane Isaac.

Emerging and traditional organic markers: Baseline study showing the influence of untraditional anthropogenic activities on coastal zones with multiple activities (Ceará coast, Northeast Brazil).

Molecular markers are useful tools to characterize natural and anthropogenic impacts on coastal zones. Distribution of n-alkanes showed that the Pacoti River was predominantly influenced by terrigenous input. Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) indices showed a mix of natural sources, especially pyrogenic influences.

Influence of anthropogenic activities and risk assessment on protected mangrove forest using traditional and emerging molecular markers (Ceará coast, northeastern Brazil).

Anthropogenic molecular markers were used to assess chemicals inputs and ecological risks associated from multiple sources to sediments in one of the largest tropical mangrove forests of South America, with a particular focus on lesser studied compounds resulting from rural activities. Total concentrations ranged from 23.4 to 228.

Pelagic tar balls collected in the North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea from 1988 to 2016 have natural and anthropogenic origins.

Tar balls are prevalent in oceans and the coastal environment; however, their origins are not well constrained on a global scale. To address this, we used gas chromatography to analyze the molecular composition of a unique set of 100 pelagic tar balls collected in the Western North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea between 1988 and 2016. Hierarchal cluster analysis (HCA) was employed to classify the samples into groups based on the relative proportions of resolved and unresolved hydrocarbon distributions.

How Persistent and Bioavailable Are Oxygenated Deepwater Horizon Oil Transformation Products?

About half of the surface oil floating on the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill was transformed into oxygenated hydrocarbons (OxHC) within days to weeks. These OxHC persist for years in oil/sand aggregates in nearshore and beach environments, and there is concern that these aggregates might represent a long-term source of toxic compounds. However, because this OxHC fraction is a continuum of transformation products that are not well chemically characterized, it is not included in current oil spill fate and effect models.

Ongoing biodegradation of Deepwater Horizon oil in beach sands: Insights from tracing petroleum carbon into microbial biomass.

Heavily weathered petroleum residues from the Deepwater Horizon (DwH) disaster continue to be found on beaches along the Gulf of Mexico as oiled-sand patties. Here, we demonstrate the ongoing biodegradation of weathered Macondo Well (MW) oil residues by tracing oil-derived carbon into active microbial biomass using natural abundance radiocarbon (C). Oiled-sand patties and non-oiled sand were collected from previously studied beaches in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

Low dose monocrotaline causes a selective pulmonary vascular lesion in male and female pneumonectomized rats.

Unlabelled: Purpose/Aim: Low doses (30-80 mg/kg) of monocrotaline are commonly used to create experimental models of pulmonary hypertension in rats. At these doses, monocrotaline causes pulmonary endothelial apoptosis and acute lung injury which ultimately results in pulmonary vascular disease. Higher doses of monocrotaline (300 mg/kg) are known to create severe liver injury, but previous investigations with lower doses have not reported histology in other organs to determine whether the vascular injury with monocrotaline is pulmonary-selective or generalized.

Impact of Marcellus Shale natural gas development in southwest Pennsylvania on volatile organic compound emissions and regional air quality.

The Marcellus Shale is the largest natural gas deposit in the U.S. and rapid development of this resource has raised concerns about regional air pollution.

Organohalogen contaminants in blood of Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) from the Gulf of Mexico.

The threat that exposure to organohalogen (OH) contaminants poses to endangered populations of Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) is not well understood, partly because few OH data are available. Blood samples from live juvenile and sub-adult L. kempii (n = 46) and C.

Comparison of five extraction methods for measuring PCBs, PBDEs, organochlorine pesticides, and lipid content in serum.

An increasing number of studies use blood obtained noninvasively to monitor organohalogen contaminants; however, blood can be difficult to analyze because of its aqueous nature and high protein content. We compared five methods for extracting polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides, and lipids from serum using National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Material 1589a PCBs, Pesticides, PBDEs, and Dioxins/Furans in Human Serum. Liquid:liquid (LLE), cavity-dispersed microwave-assisted (MAE), focused microwave-assisted (FME), solid-phase (SPE), and pressurized fluid (PFE) extraction techniques were compared.

Vascular smooth muscle-derived tissue factor is critical for arterial thrombosis after ferric chloride-induced injury.

Tissue factor (TF) initiates coagulation, regulates hemostasis, and plays a critical role in mediating arterial thrombosis. TF is up-regulated in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in atherosclerosis and arterial injury. To examine the biologic role of VSMC-derived TF, we crossed TF(flox/flox) mice with SM22alphaCre(+/-) mice.

Plexiform-like lesions and increased tissue factor expression in a rat model of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) occurs in idiopathic form and in association with diverse diseases. The pathological hallmarks are distal smooth muscle hypertrophy, obliteration of small pulmonary arteriole lumens, and disorganized cellular proliferation in plexiform lesions. In situ thrombosis is also observed.