Environmental microplastic interact with heavy metal in polluted soil from mine site in the North of Tunisia: Effects on heavy metal accumulation, growth, photosynthetic activities, and biochemical responses of alfalfa plants (Medicago saliva L.).

As emerging persistent pollutants, microplastic (MPs) pollution attracted increasing attention worldwide since it is posing several environmental concerns. MPs interact with heavy metals in soil and may provoke damages on soil properties and ultimately impaired plants and human health. The present study aims to evaluate alfalfa plants (Medicago sativa) response after exposure to heavy metal polluted soils from mine site in the North of Tunisia in presence of environmental microplastic.

Spatial and temporal characteristics of microbial communities in the Seine river in the greater Paris area under anthropogenic perturbation.

Microorganisms play an important role in maintaining the proper functioning of river ecosystems and are promising candidates for environmental indicators. They are also highly sensitive to environmental changes. It is necessary to have basic knowledge about them in order to know the ecological status of river ecosystem.

Assessment of domestic water quality of households and schools in Nabatieh, Lebanon, and development of a new spectrophotometric method for the detection of Entamoeba spp. In tap water.

Polluted resources of potable water are daily used for different purposes in Lebanon. The optical microscopy is the traditional method used for the detection of Entamoeba spp. in water despite its weak sensitivity.

Assessing the effects of nickel on, e.g., Medicago sativa L. nodules using multidisciplinary approach.

Industrial wastes and fertilizers can introduce excessive levels of nickel (Ni) into the environment, potentially causing threats to plants, animals, as well as human beings. However, the number of studies on the effects of Ni toxicity on nodules is fairly limited. To address this issue, the effects of increasing Ni concentration on alfalfa nodules were assessed at chemical, biochemical, and transcriptomic levels.

Metabolomic disorders unveil hepatotoxicity of environmental microplastics in wild fish Serranus scriba (Linnaeus 1758).

Coastal areas are worldwide subject to large inputs of anthropogenic wastes that are discharged directly into inshore waters, where they will be weathered into small microplastics (MPs) of up to a size <20 μm. This study provides information about the presence of small environmental MPs (≤3 μm) in the liver of adult benthopelagic fish Serranus scriba (Linnaeus 1758), caught from three coastal regions in Tunisia distinguished by different patterns of human activity. Polymer composition in fish liver was identified using Raman microspectroscopy.

Positive Effect of Ecological Restoration with Fabaceous Species on Microbial Activities of Former Guyanese Mining Sites.

Understanding ecological trajectories after mine site rehabilitation is essential to develop relevant protocols adapted for gold mining sites. This study describes the influence of a range of mine site rehabilitation and revegetation protocols on soil physicochemical parameters and microbial activities related to carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. We sampled soil from six rehabilitated mining sites in French Guiana with different plant cover (herbaceous, Cyperaceous, monoculture of and and association of and ).

The Impact of Ecological Restoration on Biogeochemical Cycling and Mercury Mobilization in Anoxic Conditions on Former Mining Sites in French Guiana.

Successive years of gold mining in French Guiana has resulted in soil degradation and deforestation leading to the pollution and erosion of mining plots. Due to erosion and topography, gold panning sites are submitted to hydromorphy during rainfall and groundwater increases. This original study focused on characterizing the impact of hydromorphic anaerobic periods on bio-geochemical cycles.

Evaluation of trace metal accumulation in six vegetable crops intercropped with phytostabilizing plant species, in a French urban wasteland.

The extensive development of agriculture in urban and peri-urban wastelands polluted with several trace elements (TE) poses risks to human health through contaminated food products. The objective was to explore the accumulation of TE in the various parts of vegetable crop plants (tomato, French bean, radish, potato, spinach, and leek) intercropped with phytostabilizing plant species (ryegrass and white clover, respectively). Field studies were conducted in a multicontaminated French urban wasteland with Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn, and an alkaline soil pH.

Abundance and distribution of small microplastics (≤ 3 μm) in sediments and seaworms from the Southern Mediterranean coasts and characterisation of their potential harmful effects.

Microplastics (MPs) are an uncontrolled contaminant affecting marine ecosystems. Studying their undesirable effects has been an attractive field for scientists in recent years. This study is the first to investigate the uptake and distribution of small microplastics (≤3 μm) from several sites in the Southern Mediterranean coasts.

Uptake, accumulation and associated cellular alterations of environmental samples of microplastics in the seaworm Hediste diversicolor.

The ubiquitous distribution of microplastics (MPs) in the marine environment raises global concern to understand their impact. Environmental MPs have been shown to exhibit different physicochemical properties during their life cycles. However, the body of knowledge regarding their accumulation and biological effects is still significantly limited compared to manufactured MPs.

Uptake, tissue distribution and toxicological effects of environmental microplastics in early juvenile fish Dicentrarchus labrax.

As the smallest environmental microplastics (EMPs), even at nanoscale, are increasingly present in the environment, their availability and physical and chemical effects on marine organisms are poorly documented. In the present study, we primarily investigated the uptake and accumulation of a mixture of environmental microplastics (EMPs) obtained during an artificial degradation process in early-juvenile sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Moreover, we evaluated their hazardous effects using biochemical markers of cytotoxicity.

Fabrication of large pore mesoporous silica microspheres by salt-assisted spray-drying method for enhanced antibacterial activity and pancreatic cancer treatment.

Large-pore mesoporous silica (LPMS) microspheres with tunable pore size have received intensive interest in the field of drug delivery due to their high storage capacity and fast delivery rate of drugs. In this work, a facile salt-assisted spray-drying method has been developed to fabricate LPMS microspheres using continuous spray-drying of simple inorganic salts as pore templates and colloidal SiO nanoparticles as building blocks, followed by washing with water to remove the templates. More importantly, the porosity of the LPMS microspheres can be finely tuned by adjusting the furnace temperature and relative concentration of the salt to SiO, which could lead to optimal pharmaceutical outcomes.

First report on the presence of small microplastics (≤ 3 μm) in tissue of the commercial fish Serranus scriba (Linnaeus. 1758) from Tunisian coasts and associated cellular alterations.

There is limited research on the ingestion of microplastic particles (MPs) by fish from the southern part of the Mediterranean Sea. This study provides the occurrence of small MPs (≤3 μm) in the gastrointestinal tract and muscle of adult benthopelagic fish Serranus scriba (L.1758), caught along Tunisian coasts.

Seasonality of Hg dynamics in the Ebrié Lagoon (Côte d'Ivoire) ecosystem: influence of biogeochemical factors.

This study addresses the different biogeochemical parameters that control the dynamics of Hg, which is a less-studied metal in the Ebrié Lagoon. During two hydrological seasons, the dry season and the rainy season, we regularly sampled and analysed various compartments (e.g.

Antibiotic loading and development of antibacterial capsules by using porous CaCO microparticles as starting material.

Porous calcium carbonate (CaCO) particles have been shown to be highly advantageous for biological applications, mainly due to their large surface area and their stability in physiological media. Also, developing appropriate antibacterial materials presenting the benefits of non-formation of harmful compounds is of major interest. Two characteristics of CaCO particles were investigated herein: (i) antibiotic-loading capacity and (ii) the possibility of using CaCO particles as a template for the fabrication of biocapsules presenting inherent antibacterial capacity.

Physiological, biochemical and transcriptomic responses of Medicago sativa to nickel exposure.

Metal accumulation in soil could lead to severe damage to plants, animals, and humans. The present work aims to evaluate the effects of nickel (Ni) exposure on Medicago sativa at physiological, biochemical, and transcriptomic levels. Plants were exposed to five increasing concentrations of Ni (0, 50, 150, 250, and 500 mg/kg) for 60 days.

Aerosol-Assisted Synthesis of Tailor-Made Hollow Mesoporous Silica Microspheres for Controlled Release of Antibacterial and Anticancer Agents.

Hollow mesoporous silica microsphere (HMSM) particles are one of the most promising vehicles for efficient drug delivery owing to their large hollow interior cavity for drug loading and the permeable mesoporous shell for controlled drug release. Here, we report an easily controllable aerosol-based approach to produce HMSM particles by continuous spray-drying of colloidal silica nanoparticles and Eudragit/Triton X100 composite (EUT) nanospheres as templates, followed by template removal. Importantly, the internal structure of the hollow cavity and the external morphology and the porosity of the mesoporous shell can be tuned to a certain extent by adjusting the experimental conditions (i.

Mercury species in the nests and bodies of soil-feeding termites, Silvestritermes spp. (Termitidae, Syntermitinae), in French Guiana.

Mercury pollution is currently a major public health concern, given the adverse effects of mercury on wildlife and humans. Soil plays an essential role in speciation of mercury and its global cycling, while being a habitat for a wide range of terrestrial fauna. Soil fauna, primarily soil-feeding taxa that are in intimate contact with soil pollutants are key contributors in the cycling of soil mercury and might provide relevant indications about soil pollution.

Chitosan based self-assembled nanocapsules as antibacterial agent.

Creating an appropriate antibacterial disinfection system without forming any harmful compounds is still a major challenge and calls for new technologies for efficient disinfection and microbial control. Towards this aim, we report on the elaboration of biodegradable and biocompatible polymeric nanocapsules, also called hollow nanoparticles, for potential applications in antibiotic therapy. These nanomaterials are based on the self-assembly of charged polysaccharides, namely chitosan and alginate, onto gold nanoparticles as a sacrificial matrix (60 nm).

'Seeing' Strain in Soft Materials.

Several technologies can be used for measuring strains of soft materials under high rate impact conditions. These technologies include high speed tensile test, split Hopkinson pressure bar test, digital image correlation and high speed X-ray imaging. However, none of these existing technologies can produce a continuous 3D spatial strain distribution in the test specimen.

Effect of treated wastewater irrigation in East Central region of Tunisia (Monastir governorate) on the biochemical and transcriptomic response of earthworms Eisenia andrei.

Treated wastewater (TWW) reuse for irrigation has become an excellent way to palliate water scarcity in Mediterranean arid regions. However, the toxicological effects of these effluents on the soil's organisms, especially earthworms, have not been well studied as yet. In this paper, earthworms Eisenia andrei were exposed for 7 days and 14 days to five agricultural soils irrigated with TWW for different periods: 1 year, 8 years, and 20 years.

Mercury behaviour and C, N, and P biogeochemical cycles during ecological restoration processes of old mining sites in French Guiana.

Several decades of gold mining extraction activities in the Amazonian rainforest have caused deforestation and pollution. While ecological rehabilitation is essential for restoring biodiversity and decreasing erosion on deforested lands, few studies note the behaviour or toxicity of trace elements during the rehabilitation process. Our original study focused on the potential use of microbial activity and Hg speciation and compared them with As, Cu, Zn and Cr speciation in assessing the chemical and biological quality of ecological restoration efforts.

Impact of microbial communities from tropical soils on the mobilization of trace metals during dissolution of cinnabar ore.

Biodissolution experiments on cinnabar ore (mercury sulphide and other sulphide minerals, such as pyrite) were performed with microorganisms extracted directly from soil. These experiments were carried out in closed systems under aerobic and anaerobic conditions with 2 different soils sampled in French Guyana. The two main objectives of this study were (1) to quantify the ability of microorganisms to mobilize metals (Fe, Al, Hg) during the dissolution of cinnabar ore, and (2) to identify the links between the type and chemical properties of soils, environmental parameters such as season and the strategies developed by indigenous microorganisms extracted from tropical natural soils to mobilize metals.