Do shale oil and gas production activities impact ambient air quality? A comprehensive study of 12 years of chemical concentrations and well production data from the Barnett Shale region of Texas.

Starting around 2008, there was rapid expansion of oil and natural gas (ONG) production into more heavily populated areas within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in the Barnett Shale region of Texas. This colocation raised concerns regarding the effect of ONG activities on chemical levels in the air. In the current study, we examined the potential impacts of ONG activity on the types and concentrations of chemicals in ambient air in the Barnett Shale.

Soil-Weathered CuO Nanoparticles Compromise Foliar Health and Pigment Production in Spinach ().

In this study, spinach plants exposed to fresh/unweathered (UW) or weathered (W) copper compounds in soil were analyzed for growth and nutritional composition. Plants were exposed for 45 days to freshly prepared or soil-aged (35 days) nanoparticulate CuO (nCuO), bulk-scale CuO (bCuO), or CuSO at 0 (control), 400, 400, and 40 mg/kg of soil, respectively. Foliar health, gas exchange, pigment content (chlorophyll and carotenoid), catalase and ascorbate peroxidase enzymes, gene expression, and Cu bioaccumulation were evaluated along with SEM imagery for select samples.

Improvement of nutrient elements and allicin content in green onion (Allium fistulosum) plants exposed to CuO nanoparticles.

With the exponential growth of nanomaterial production in the last years, nano copper (Cu)-based compounds are gaining more consideration in agriculture since they can work as pesticides or fertilizers. Chinese scallions (Allium fistulosum), which are characterized by their high content of the antioxidant allicin, were the chosen plants for this study. Spectroscopic and microscopic techniques were used to evaluate the nutrient element, allicin content, and enzyme antioxidant properties of scallion plants.

Nutritional Status of Tomato () Fruit Grown in -Infested Soil: Impact of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles.

In this study, the impact of cerium oxide nanoparticles on the nutritional value of tomato () fruit grown in soil infested with f. sp. was investigated in a greenhouse pot study.

Backbone resonance assignments and secondary structure of the apo-Drosophila melanogaster frataxin homolog (Dfh).

Friedreich's ataxia, the most prevalent hereditary ataxia, is caused by a patient's inability to produce a viable form of the protein frataxin. Frataxin plays an essential role in cellular iron regulation and has been shown to participate in the assembly of iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters under a variety of roles, including modulating persulfide production and directing Fe(II) delivery to the assembly scaffold protein. While the activity and structure of multiple eukaryotic frataxin orthologs have been characterized, the fly ortholog has numerous advantages over other orthologs with regards to protein stability, its activity towards Fe-S cluster assembly and its stability for forming stable proteins partner assemblies.

ZnO nanoparticles increase photosynthetic pigments and decrease lipid peroxidation in soil grown cilantro (Coriandrum sativum).

The growth of the nanotechnology industry has raised concerns about its environmental impacts. In particular, the effect on terrestrial plants, which are the primary producers of the global food chain, is widely debated. In this study, cilantro plants (Coriandrum sativum) were cultivated for 35 days in soil amended with ZnO nanoparticles (N ZnO), bulk ZnO (B ZnO) and ZnCl (ionic/I Zn) at 0-400 mg/kg.

Finding the conditions for the beneficial use of ZnO nanoparticles towards plants-A review.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have a wide range of applications in cosmetics, electrical, and optical industries. The wide range of applications of ZnO NPs, especially in personal care products, suggest they can reach major environmental matrices causing unforeseen effects. Recent literature has shown conflicting findings regarding the beneficial or detrimental effects of ZnO NPs towards terrestrial biota.

Plant uptake and translocation of contaminants of emerging concern in soil.

The advent of industrialization has led to the discovery of a wide range of chemicals designed for multiple uses including plant protection. However, after use, most of the chemicals and their derivatives end up in soil and water, interacting with living organisms. Plants, which are primary producers, are intentionally or unintentionally exposed to several chemicals, serving as a vehicle for the transfer of products into the food chain.

Role of Cerium Compounds in Fusarium Wilt Suppression and Growth Enhancement in Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum).

The use of nanoparticles in plant protection may reduce pesticide usage and contamination and increase food security. In this study, three-week-old Solanum lycopersicum seedlings were exposed, by root or foliar pathways, to CeO nanoparticles and cerium acetate at 50 and 250 mg/L prior to transplant into sterilized soil. One week later, the soil was inoculated with the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f.

Inhibition of the Human ABC Efflux Transporters P-gp and BCRP by the BDE-47 Hydroxylated Metabolite 6-OH-BDE-47: Considerations for Human Exposure.

High body burdens of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in infants and young children have led to increased concern over their potential impact on human development. PBDE exposure can alter the expression of genes involved in thyroid homeostasis, including those of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, which mediate cellular xenobiotic efflux. However, little information exists on how PBDEs interact with ABC transporters such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP).

In vitro characterization of a novel Isu homologue from Drosophila melanogaster for de novo FeS-cluster formation.

FeS-clusters are utilized by numerous proteins within several biological pathways that are essential for life. In eukaryotes, the primary FeS-cluster production pathway is the mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster (ISC) pathway. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, de novo FeS-cluster formation is accomplished through coordinated assembly with the substrates iron and sulfur by the scaffold assembly protein "Isu1".

Arsenic Directly Binds to and Activates the Yeast AP-1-Like Transcription Factor Yap8.

The AP-1-like transcription factor Yap8 is critical for arsenic tolerance in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, the mechanism by which Yap8 senses the presence of arsenic and activates transcription of detoxification genes is unknown. Here we demonstrate that Yap8 directly binds to trivalent arsenite [As(III)] in vitro and in vivo and that approximately one As(III) molecule is bound per molecule of Yap8.

SecA drives transmembrane insertion of RodZ, an unusual single-span membrane protein.

The transmembrane (TM) helices of most type II single-span membrane proteins (S-SMPs) of Escherichia coli occur near the N-terminus, where the cell's targeting mechanisms can readily identify it as it emerges from the ribosome. However, the TM helices of a few S-SMPs, such as RodZ, occur a hundred or more residues downstream from the N-terminus, which raises fundamental questions about targeting and assembly. Because of RodZ's novelty and potential usefulness for understanding TM helix insertion in vivo, we examined its membrane targeting and assembly.

Crystal structure and characterization of particulate methane monooxygenase from Methylocystis species strain M.

Particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) is an integral membrane metalloenzyme that oxidizes methane to methanol in methanotrophic bacteria. Previous biochemical and structural studies of pMMO have focused on preparations from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) and Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b. A pMMO from a third organism, Methylocystis species strain M, has been isolated and characterized.

Key players and their role during mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis.

Iron-sulfur clusters are multifaceted iron-containing cofactors coordinated and utilized by numerous proteins in nearly all biological systems. Fe-S-cluster-containing proteins help direct pathways essential for cell viability and participate in biological applications ranging from nucleotide biosynthesis and stability, protein translation, enzyme catalysis, and mitochondrial metabolism. Fe-S-containing proteins function by utilizing the unique electronic and chemical properties inherent in the Fe containing cofactor.

Emerging fungal infections among children: A review on its clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and prevention.

The incidence of fungal infections is increasing at an alarming rate, presenting an enormous challenge to healthcare professionals. This increase is directly related to the growing population of immunocompromised individuals especially children resulting from changes in medical practice such as the use of intensive chemotherapy and immunosuppressive drugs. Although healthy children have strong natural immunity against fungal infections, then also fungal infection among children are increasing very fast.

Molecular details of the yeast frataxin-Isu1 interaction during mitochondrial Fe-S cluster assembly.

Frataxin, a conserved nuclear-encoded mitochondrial protein, plays a direct role in iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis within the ISC assembly pathway. Humans with frataxin deficiency have Friedreich's ataxia, a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by mitochondrial iron overload and disruption in Fe-S cluster synthesis. Biochemical and genetic studies have shown frataxin interacts with the iron-sulfur cluster assembly scaffold protein (in yeast, there are two, Isu1 and Isu2), indicating frataxin plays a direct role in cluster assembly, possibly by serving as an iron chaperone in the assembly pathway.

Oxidation of methane by a biological dicopper centre.

Vast world reserves of methane gas are underutilized as a feedstock for the production of liquid fuels and chemicals owing to the lack of economical and sustainable strategies for the selective oxidation of methane to methanol. Current processes to activate the strong C-H bond (104 kcal mol(-1)) in methane require high temperatures, are costly and inefficient, and produce waste. In nature, methanotrophic bacteria perform this reaction under ambient conditions using metalloenzymes called methane monooxygenases (MMOs).

Arsenic binding and transfer by the ArsD As(III) metallochaperone.

ArsD is a metallochaperone that delivers trivalent metalloids [As(III) or Sb(III)] to the ArsA ATPase, the catalytic subunit of the ArsAB pump encoded by the arsRDABC operon of Escherichia coli plasmid R773. Interaction with ArsD increases the affinity of ArsA for As(III), conferring resistance to environmental concentrations of arsenic. Previous genetic analysis suggested that ArsD residues Cys12, Cys13, and Cys18 are involved in the transfer of As(III) to ArsA.

Structure of the two transmembrane Cu+ transport sites of the Cu+ -ATPases.

Cu(+)-ATPases drive metal efflux from the cell cytoplasm. Paramount to this function is the binding of Cu(+) within the transmembrane region and its coupled translocation across the permeability barrier. Here, we describe the two transmembrane Cu(+) transport sites present in Archaeoglobus fulgidus CopA.

Transdermal delivery by iontophoresis.

Recently there has been an increased interest in using iontophoretic technique for the transdermal delivery of medications, both ionic and nonionic. This article is an overview of the history of iontophoresis and factors affecting iontophoretic drug transfer for the systemic effects and laws for development of Transdermal delivery system are discussed.

Solubility enhancement of celecoxib using beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes.

Celecoxib has very low water solubility. It forms a complex with beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD) both in aqueous and in solid state. It was observed that due to formation of the inclusion complex, the solubility and dissolution rate of celecoxib were enhanced.