Biogeochemical mechanisms of zero-valent iron and biochar for synergistically mitigating antimony uptake in rice.

Antimony (Sb) contamination in paddy fields can lead to its accumulation in rice grains, posing a threat to food safety. To address this issue, the combined use of zero-valent iron (ZVI) and biochar (BC) were applied to decrease the uptake of Sb in Sb-polluted soils, and their effects on Sb uptake from soil to rice grains were investigated. Our results showed that the combination treatment of 0.

In situ arsenic immobilization by natural iron (oxyhydr)oxide precipitates in As-contaminated groundwater irrigation canals.

Arsenic-contaminated groundwater is widely used in agriculture. To meet the increasing demand for safe water in agriculture, an efficient and cost-effective method for As removal from groundwater is urgently needed. We hypothesized that Fe (oxyhydr)oxide (FeOOH) minerals precipitated in situ from indigenous Fe in groundwater may immobilize As, providing a solution for safely using As-contaminated groundwater in irrigation.

Freshwater Salinization Mitigated NO Emissions in Submerged Plant-Covered Systems: Insights from Attached Biofilms.

Submerged plants (SMPs) play a critical role in improving water quality and reducing NO greenhouse gas emissions. However, freshwater salinization represents a major environmental challenge in aquatic systems. To investigate the impact of salinization on NO emissions, this study conducted indoor mesocosm experiments simulating SMP and nonsubmerged plant (Non_SMP) areas in freshwater lakes.

Logic Circuits for Intelligent Microcystin Monitoring Based on Aptamer Recognition and Toehold-Mediated Hairpin DNA Self-Assembly.

A sensitive fluorescence biosensor was developed for microcystin-LR (MC-LR) detection using H1, H2, and H3 DNA probes as sensing elements. The aptamer in H1 can recognize the target. H2 was labeled with FAM and BHQ.

Cu-EAB zeolite catalyst: A promising candidate with excellent SO poisoning resistance for NH-SCR reaction.

In this work, we synthesized Cu-EAB catalysts with an EAB topology for the NH-SCR of NO and evaluated their resistance to SO poisoning for the first time. The Cu-EAB catalyst showed superior NO conversion and selectivity for N, along with a notable tolerance to high space velocities and SO, outperforming the commercial Cu-CHA catalyst. This enhanced resistance was attributed to the Cu species formation at the 2.

Experimental Investigation of Cadmium Isotope Fractionation during Adsorption on Montmorillonite and Kaolinite.

Cadmium (Cd) isotopes have recently emerged as novel tracers of Cd sources and geochemical processes. Widespread clay minerals play a key role in Cd migration due to their strong adsorption capacity, but the mechanism of Cd isotope fractionation during adsorption onto clay minerals is poorly understood. Here, we experimentally investigated the adsorption mechanisms of Cd on montmorillonite (2:1) and kaolinite (1:1) by using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy.

Nontarget Analysis and Characterization of a Group of Abundant Polyfluoroalkyl Substances─Fluorinated Benzoylurea Pesticides and Their Analogues and Transformation Products in Fish by LC-HRMS and Chemical Species-Specific Algorithms.

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a large class of fluorinated chemicals used in various industrial and agrochemical products such as fluorinated benzoylurea (FBU) pesticides. Initiated from an incidental and preliminary finding of three high-abundance FBUs in fish, this study implemented nontarget analysis and characterization for FBUs together with their analogues and transformation products (TPs) in fish using liquid chromatography, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and chemical species-specific algorithms. A total of 23 FBU-relevant compounds were found and tentatively/accurately elucidated with structures, including 18 PFASs and 5 non-PFAS compounds, of which 4 were original FBUs, 8 were FBU analogues, and 11 were FBU-TPs.

Adsorption-desorption of propyrisulfuron in six typical agricultural soils of China: Kinetics, thermodynamics, influence of 38 environmental factors and its mechanisms.

Propyrisulfuron, a novel sulfonylurea herbicide, effectively suppresses intracellular acetolactate synthase activity for weed control, but its adsorption behavior in the soil environment remains unclear. To assess potential agroecosystem risks, the adsorption-desorption behavior and mechanism of propyrisulfuron in six typical agricultural soils of China were investigated using a batch equilibrium method, Density Functional Theory (DFT), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) techniques. It is indicated that the adsorption-desorption of propyrisulfuron in six soils reached equilibrium at 36 h under the optimum water-to-soil ratio (WSr) of 5:1.

The Impact of Blood Lead and Its Interaction with Occupational Factors and Air Pollution on Hypertension Prevalence.

Large-scale epidemiological studies on the association of blood lead levels with blood pressure and hypertension prevalence are still limited, particularly among lead-exposed workers. The evidence is even more scarce on the interaction of blood lead levels with occupational variables and ambient air pollution levels. We developed mixed-effect models based on a large group of lead-exposed workers (N = 22,002).

Missing pieces in the puzzle of ecology of microbial arsenate reduction.

Arsenic pollution and its associated health risks have raised widespread concern. Under anaerobic conditions, arsenic mobility and toxicity increase when arsenate [As(V)] is reduced to arsenite [As(III)] by microbes through the cytoplasmic and dissimilatory pathways. However, the relative importance of these two pathways in the environment remains unclear, restricting our ability to effectively predict and regulate the environmental behavior of arsenic.

Phenol-Quinone Redox Couples of Natural Organic Matter Promote Mercury Methylation in Paddy Soil.

Methylmercury in paddy soils poses threats to food security and thus human health. Redox-active phenolic and quinone moieties of natural organic matter (NOM) mediate electron transfer between microbes and mercury during mercury reduction. However, their role in mercury methylation remains elusive.

Legacy and emerging organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) in water and sediment from the Pearl River Delta to the adjacent coastal waters of the South China Sea: Spatioseasonal variations, flux estimation and ecological risk.

The industrialization and urbanization along the Pearl River Delta (PRD) have exacerbated the issue of pollution in aquatic environments by organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs). Historical cumulative pollution from legacy OPFRs, combined with newly emerging OPFRs, has increased the severity and complexity of OPFR pollution in this region. We explored the contamination profile, input flux and risk of legacy and emerging OPFRs in surface waters and in sediment samples of the PRD.

Mechanistic evaluation of enhanced graphene toxicity to Bacillus induced by humic acid adsorption.

The extensive application of graphene nanosheets (GNSs) has raised concerns over risks to sensitive species in the aquatic environment. The humic acid (HA) corona is traditionally considered to reduce GNSs toxicity. Here, we evaluate the effect of sorbed HA (GNSs-HA) on the toxicity of GNSs to Gram positive Bacillus tropicus.

Arsenite-induced liver apoptosis via oxidative stress and the MAPK signaling pathway in marine medaka.

Arsenic (As) is widely recognized for its hazards to aquatic organisms; however, its toxicological impacts on apoptosis in marine fish remain inadequately explored. This study investigated the effects of in vivo dietary exposure to 50 or 500 mg/kg AsIII (as NaAsO) over 28 days in marine medaka, alongside in vitro exposure to 50-750 μg/L AsIII for 48 h in a hepatic cell line derived from marine medaka, to elucidate the toxicity and underlying molecular mechanisms. In vivo, As significantly accumulated in liver tissue (1.

Conference 2024: Building an innovative scientific research ecosystem for microbiome and One Health.

The Conference 2024 provides a platform to promote the development of an innovative scientific research ecosystem for microbiome and One Health. The four key components - Technology, Research (Biology), Academic journals, and Social media - form a synergistic ecosystem. Advanced technologies drive biological research, which generates novel insights that are disseminated through academic journals.

Microplastics accelerate nitrification, shape the microbial community, and alter antibiotic resistance during the nitrifying process.

Microplastics (MPs) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are both emerging pollutants that are frequently detected in wastewater treatment plants. In this study, the effects of various MPs, including polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA), on nitrification performance, dominant microbial communities, and antibiotic resistance during nitrification were investigated. The results revealed that the addition of MPs increased the specific ammonia oxidation rate and specific nitrate production rate by 15.

A comprehensive characterization biotransformation of chlorinated paraffin by human and carp liver microsomes via liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry and screening algorithm.

The chlorinated paraffin (CP) monomer 1,2,5,6,9,10-Hexachlorodecane (CP-4) was subjected to in vitro biotransformation using human and carp liver microsomes. Five types of CP-4 metabolites (OH-, keto-, enol-, aldehyde- and carboxy-CP-4) were identified in human liver microsomer while only mono-OH-CP-4 was found in the carp liver microsomes. Kinetic studies revealed that the formation of mono-, di-, tri-hydroxylated CP-4, keto-, enol-, and aldehyde-CP-4 in human liver microsomes was best described by substrate inhibition models, whereas the formation of carboxylated CP-4 metabolites best fit the Michaelis-Menten model.

Besides traditional organophosphate esters: The ecological risks of emerging organophosphate esters in the Yangtze River basin cannot be ignored.

In addition to traditional organophosphate esters (tOPEs), emerging organophosphate esters (eOPEs) have increasingly been detected in the environment, but their risks remain unclear. This study detected 12 tOPEs and 7 eOPEs in surface water, sediment, and suspended particulate matter (SPM) samples from important aquatic habitats and drinking water sources in Yibin (YB), Yichang (YC), Shanghai (SH), and Poyang Lake (PY) within the Yangtze River basin. The total concentration of OPEs (ΣOPEs) in surface water, sediment, and SPM from these four regions were 22.

Degradation of myosmine by a novel bacterial strain Sphingopyxis sp. J-6 and its degradation pathways.

This study isolated a myosmine-degrading bacterial strain J-6 from tobacco-growing soil. The identification of this strain revealed it to be a new species within the genus Sphingopyxis. Analysis of the myosmine degradation products by HPLC, preparative HPLC, and UHPLC-MS/MS identified 8 metabolites, among which 3-pyridylacetic acid (3-PAA), 5-(3-pyridyl)tetrahydrofuranone-2 (PTHF), and 4-hydroxy-4-(3-pyridyl)butanoic acid (HPBA) were three novel metabolites that were not previously found in microbial degradation of tobacco alkaloids.

MOF-Based Biomimetic Enzyme Microrobots for Efficient Detection of Total Antioxidant Capacity of Fruits and Vegetables.

Green and efficient total antioxidant capacity (TAC) detection is significant for healthy diet and disease prevention. This work first proposed the concept of TAC colorimetric detection based on microrobots. A novel metal-organic framework (MOF)-based biomimetic enzyme microrobot (MIL-88A@FeO) is developed that can efficiently and accurately detect the TAC of real fruits and vegetables.

[Determination of 12 halogenated organic pollutants in edible fish by ultra performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry combined with ultrasound-assisted extraction and gel permeation chromatography purification].

Halogenated organic pollutants (HOPs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. The development of methods to detect HOPs in fish is challenging owing to the compositional complexity of fish matrices, which contain high levels of lipids and relatively low concentrations of HOPs. In addition, the lipophilicity of most HOPs renders their extraction difficult.

Lead-induced actin polymerization aggravates neutrophil extracellular trap formation and contributes to vascular inflammation.

Lead (Pb) exposure is widely acknowledged as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies have established neutrophil involvement in Pb-induced cardiovascular injuries; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To address this knowledge gap, the binding targets of Pb in neutrophils and their roles in regulating neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation were investigated.

Switch-Type Electrochemiluminescence Aptasensor for AFB1 Detection Based on CoS Quantum Dots Encapsulated in Co-LDH and a Ferrocene Quencher.

Among the various aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) assays, performing accurate detection is difficult because false positives and false negatives are frequent due to limited sensitivity, expensive equipment, or inadequate pretreatment during operation. Here, an "off-on" switch-type electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor armed with cobalt-sulfur quantum dots was encapsulated in hollow cobalt-layered double hydroxide nanocages as an enhanced luminescent probe (Co-LDH@QDs), and a ferrocene-modified aptamer (Fc-APT) was used as a luminescent quencher. In general, when Fc-APT was hybridized with complementary DNA modified with a DNA nanotetrahedron, electron transfer between ferrocene and Co-LDH@QDs was facilitated, leading to efficient quenching of the ECL intensity into an "off" state in the absence of AFB1.

Advanced Mass-Spectra-Based Machine Learning for Predicting the Toxicity of Traditional Chinese Medicines.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been a cornerstone of health care for centuries, valued for its preventive and therapeutic properties. However, recent decades have revealed significant toxicological concerns associated with TCMs due to their complex chemical compositions. Traditional QSAR (quantitative structure-activity relationships) models, which predict toxicity based on chemical structures, face challenges with the intricate nature of TCM compounds.

Long-term stability of comammox Nitrospira under weakly acidic conditions and their acid-adaptive mechanisms revealed by genome-centric metatranscriptomics.

Despite their widespread presence in acidic environments, the stability and adaptative mechanisms of complete ammonia oxidization (comammox) bacteria remain poorly understood. In this three-year study, comammox Nitrospira consistently dominated both abundance and activity in an acidic nitrifying reactor (pH = 6.3-6.