We present a case of postseptal cellulitis caused by a rare combination of organisms in an immunocompetent patient following ocular trauma from brackish water. A 23-year-old healthy female sustained a penetrating eye injury while fishing in brackish water. Imaging revealed a retained wooden foreign body in the postseptal space. Surgical intervention included orbitotomy, foreign body removal, and drain placement. Intraoperative cultures identified Aeromonas species, Edwardsiella tarda , Escherichia coli , and an unspecified mold. The patient was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics and 6 weeks of voriconazole once fungal elements were detected, with full resolution of infection. This case highlights the importance of thorough history-taking to determine specific exposures to infectious agents and consideration of unusual pathogens associated with brackish water exposure.

Salinity effects on dietary assimilation of eight trace elements and their distributions among body components in euryhaline diamond sturgeon.

Chloro-containing polyketides with anti-neuroinflammatory and anti-angiogenic activities from a coralline algicolous fungal strain Diaporthe middletonii Km3279.

Lithium iron phosphate cathodes for brackish water desalination: A proof-of-concept and techno-economic analysis toward direct reuse of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries

The major goal of this study was to identify long term (1998–2022) changes within the macrobenthic communities in the Sound (Öresund), with special emphasis on climate change. Bottom trawling in this area has been banned since 1932. This was compared to changes of the same species at the surrounding Swedish west coast in the north (the Kattegat and the Skagerrak) and the Baltic Sea in the south. Results are also related far back in time in the Sound as the benthic fauna has been unusually well-studied since the 1800s. It is of special interest to study the faunal response to the rise in bottom water temperature which has been recorded in later years. The Sound between Denmark and Sweden is situated between the Baltic Sea, one of the largest brackish waters, and the Kattegat, an extension of the Atlantic. This location provides special conditions for a benthic fauna with a northern touch. Brackish water species typical of the Baltic occur here, but also marine cold-water species typical of the Arctic. Many species therefore live on their edge of distribution in the Sound. The development in abundance 1998–2022 in the Sound with its trawl-ban was similar to heavily trawled areas along the Swedish west coast. Species with a northern distribution were found to decrease parallel with an increase in species with a southern distribution. The sharper reduction in abundance in the Sound compared to surrounding seas may be due to the fact that many species here live at the extreme edge of their range. Indications of disturbed reproduction and submergence in some northern species were also recorded. The most likely explanation of these changes is the increase in temperature which affects many processes that may act in synergy. The transition from a Haploops community to an Amphiura community probably started with hypoxia and high temperatures. Also, temperature and decreasing levels of nitrogen, which control primary production, may have created relative food shortages as Haploops especially seems to benefit from a high trophic level. The change in faunal composition implied a reduction in gamma diversity but also a loss in nutritional value for commercial fish. Increased temperature is likely an explanation why northern species with non-pelagic larvae have decreased and why southern species with pelagic larvae have increased in recent years. This study, where comparisons are difficult because of many complicating factors, verifies that broken time series is an urgent problem for long-term ecological and environmental studies. It is important for the future to preserve long-term series of data collected at the same location and with the same methods.

The claystone in the Guide area of the Qaidam Basin on the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau contains lithium resources. This paper adopts geochemical and isotopic geochemical approaches to analyze the paleoenvironment, tectonic setting, sediment provenance, weathering processes, and lithium sources of the lithium-bearing claystones in the study area, and summarizes the genetic mechanisms of the lithium-bearing claystones. The results indicate that the claystone is dominated by illite and chlorite in mineral composition, with lithium primarily hosted in illite and kaolinite. The paleo-sedimentary aqueous conditions of the claystone correspond to a weakly oxidizing-weakly reducing, brackish water environment, under a semi-arid to semi-humid paleoclimate. Meanwhile, weakly oxidizing-weakly reducing, freshwater, and humid sedimentary environments are more favorable for the formation of lithium-bearing minerals, as evidenced by the highest lithium content in the clay. The source rocks of lithium-bearing clays in the study area were subject to the tectonic setting of the island arc-continental margin transition. Their provenance is dominated by felsic igneous rocks, with minor contributions from intermediate igneous rocks and recycled sedimentary materials. Weathering conditions of the lithium-bearing claystones in the study area indicate that their source rocks experienced weak to moderate weathering, and a certain degree of potassium metasomatism may have occurred during diagenesis. Lithium isotope analyses reveal that lithium in the clays is primarily derived from lithium supplied by sedimentary-stage water bodies and deep-seated hydrothermal fluids. Lithium isotope analysis shows that the δ 7 Li values of lithium in the clay range from 3.67‰ to 8.27‰, with an average of 5.7‰, it indicates that the lithium in the clay of the study area may originate from deep hydrothermal fluids and sedimentary detrital materials.

Abstract Global reliance on fossil fuels has created urgent economic and environmental challenges, yet large‐scale use of algal biomass remains limited by production costs. Industrial scaling is constrained by inefficient harvesting and the technical challenges of processing recalcitrant cell walls. This review proposes that Chlorella vulgaris ‐based biorefineries can become economically viable through integrated multiproduct valorization aligned with circular economy principles. A synthesis of literature, patents, and techno‐economic studies – supported by bibliometric analyses of the Web of Science and WIPO PATENTSCOPE – highlights multidisciplinary trends spanning biology, engineering, and market dynamics. Academic research primarily focuses on biofuels, whereas patent trends emphasize nutraceutical and cosmetic applications. This divergence reveals opportunities for hybrid cascade‐extraction approaches that integrate biotechnology, artificial intelligence‐assisted process optimization, and the valorization of residue into biochar. High‐value co‐products, such as lutein and astaxanthin, support projected profit margins of 40% to 45%, a 3.5‐ to 4.5‐fold increase over biodiesel‐only routes, while potentially offsetting up to 4.1 million t CO 2 annually. Future development could include metabolic engineering (e.g., CRISPR/Cas9) to enhance yields, pilot‐scale demonstrations in semi‐arid regions using brackish water and industrial CO 2 streams, and measures to address regulatory, investor, and certification challenges. Ultimately, C. vulgaris ‐based biorefineries can foster circular bioeconomies, recover nutrients from waste, and leverage the expanding global market, positioning the species as a versatile and profitable platform for sustainable technological transitions.

A novel sulphate-reducing bacterium, strain 52FAKT, was isolated from a sediment sample collected from a brackish lake, Lake Akkeshi, Japan. Growth occurred at 15-30 °C (optimum 22-25 °C), pH 6.9-8.2 (optimum 7.1-7.3) and 50-700 mM sodium chloride (optimum 150-300 mM). Strain 52FAKT utilized hydrogen ga, various organic acids and alcohols as electron donors. Sulphate, sulphite, thiosulphate and nitrate served as electron acceptors. A distinctive feature is its ability to grow on glucose. The 52FAKT genome consists of a circular chromosome with a length of 5.6 Mb and a G+C content of 43.6 mol%. The genome encodes a putative glucose-specific phosphotransferase system, which is likely involved in glucose uptake. Phylogenetic analyses placed strain 52FAKᵀ within the genus Desulforhopalus, with 16S rRNA sequence identities of 96.3% with Desulforhopalus singaporensis and 94.1% with Desulforhopalus vacuolatus. Based on phylogenetic and phenotypic properties, strain 52FAKᵀ is proposed as a new species, Desulforhopalus glucosivorans sp. nov., with the type strain 52FAKᵀ (=JCM 39400T=DSM 113749T).

Marine plastic pollution represents a growing threat to coastal and pelagic ecosystems. In this context, a synthetic overview of research conducted on macro- and microplastic pollution in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, the Strait of Messina, and the transitional environments of the Capo Peloro Oriented Nature Reserve is presented. Analyses carried out on beaches, brackish lakes, and marine species show widespread contamination, with a strong prevalence of microfibers and plastic fragments deriving from fishing, domestic discharges, mariculture, and coastal anthropogenic activities. Organisms such as macroalgae, anemones, and sea cucumbers have proven to be effective bioindicators, while various fish species—including those of commercial interest and juvenile stages—exhibit microplastic ingestion with possible ecological and health implications. The results highlight the need for integrated monitoring and mitigation strategies, as well as further research into the effects along the food chain.

Photochemistry can convert dissolved organic matter (DOM) to inorganics (mainly CO2) and "new" DOM, hence impacting aquatic carbon cycling. The apparent quantum yields (AQYs) of these photoprocesses usually decrease with increasing wavelength. This study reports exceptions to this paradigm and discusses the biogeochemical implications of this phenomenon. Specifically, we determined the broadband AQYs over ultraviolet-B (UVB), ultraviolet-A (UVA), and visible (VIS) radiations for photomineralization of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and photobleaching of chromophoric and florescent DOM (CDOM, FDOM) in the freshwater, brackish water, and seawater samples from the Pearl River estuary. UVB-broadband AQYs of DOC photomineralization (AQYDOC) and of CDOM and humic-like FDOM photoleaching were considerably higher than their UVA and VIS counterparts for all three water samples. Surprisingly, the broadband AQYDOC over VIS was significantly higher than that over UVA for the brackish water and seawater samples, contrary to the above-mentioned paradigm. Moreover, exposure of all three water samples to VIS produced protein-like FDOM, while significant losses of this FDOM pool occurred in the presence of UV. Per depth-integrated contributions in the water column, UVB or UVA primarily controlled CDOM and FDOM photobleaching, while VIS dominated DOC photomineralization and protein-like FDOM formation. These results suggest photochemistry may cause CO2 and biolabile DOM accumulations in VIS-dominated sunlit waters below surface mixed layers, contributing to coastal ocean DOM biogeochemical cycling, acidification, and deoxygenation. This shall be a self-intensified process since UV-driven CDOM photobleaching in surface layers reinforces and extends further deeper the VIS-induced subsurface CO2 and biolabile DOM photoproduction.

Brick-and-cement structured polyamide membranes enabling to selectively separate boron from brackish water and real seawater permeate

Red seabream Pagrus major (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843) (Teleostei: Sparidae) farmed in Japan exhibited mild scoliosis, and myxosporean and microsporidian parasites were isolated from the brain and medulla oblongata of the diseased fish, respectively. Based on the morphological and molecular analyses, the myxosporean specimens were described as a new species, Myxobolus tai n. sp. (Bivalvulida: Myxobolidae). The spore is oblong to oval in valvular view, with two pyriform polar capsules of slightly unequal size. Polar capsules are asymmetrically positioned relative to the major axis of the spore. Myxospores morphologically similar to those of M. tai were also identified in the kidney of the yellowback seabream Evynnis tumifrons (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843) (Sparidae) caught in North Pacific off Minami-Ise Town, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Whereas white and round plasmodia were observed in the brain of P. major, only free spores were confirmed in the kidney of E. tumifrons. Nucleotide sequences of the partial small subunit ribosomal RNA gene were identical between those myxosporeans collected from P. major and E. tumifrons, indicating they are conspecific. Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed M. tai n. sp. is sister to Myxobolus iwagiensis Kawano, Sakurai, & Yanagida, 2025, which was described from the nervous tissues of wild southern medaka Oryzias latipes (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) (Beloniformes: Adrianichthyidae) collected from brackish water in Japan. Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that the microsporidian in the medulla oblongata of P. major as an undescribed species belonging to the family Spragueidae.

Genomic insights into the population structure of malaria vectors of the Anopheles gambiae complex in The Gambia reveals distinctiveness and spatio-temporal stability of BISSAU molecular form.

Estimating technical efficiency and its determinants in Indonesian smallholder brackish water aquaculture

Vibrio vulnificus, a marine pathogen and climate change biomarker, poses serious risks to human and animal health through seafood consumption and seawater exposure. Rapid detection methods are urgently needed for both vibriosis diagnosis and surveillance in warming coastal waters. We report a fluorogenic biosensor based on nanoporous anodic alumina loaded with rhodamine B and capped with an oligonucleotide probe targeting a unique sequence of the vvhA cytolysin gene, specific to V. vulnificus. In the presence of the target DNA, the probe is displaced, pores open, and the fluorophore is released, generating a measurable signal. The biosensor exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity across diverse matrices, including fish mucus and serum, human serum, sterilized brackish water, and-critically-unprocessed natural lake and seawater samples, without DNA extraction or amplification. Detection limits ranged between 10² and 5 × 10² CFU mL⁻¹, comparable in sensitivity to state-of-the-art qPCR assays. The biosensor outperformed conventional approaches in speed, simplicity, and cost-effectiveness, while maintaining accuracy. These findings underscore the potential of this platform for integrated One Health applications, bridging environmental monitoring with rapid diagnosis of vibriosis in humans and animals. Preliminary results from this study were previously made available as a preprint in SSRN (DOI: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5032822).

Techno-economic optimization of large-scale two-stage brackish water reverse osmosis systems using dimensionless modeling.

Understanding the factors that shape population genetic structure is crucial for advancing evolutionary studies and developing effective management and conservation strategies. The northern pike (Esox lucius L.) is a top teleost predator that inhabits fresh and brackish water environments in the northern hemisphere. Pike populations in the brackish Baltic Sea typically display strong genetic structuring, with coastal sympatric populations that separate during spring for spawning in either shallow, sheltered brackish bays or in freshwater tributaries and wetlands. In contrast to the Baltic Sea, genomic structuring in freshwater environments, particularly in large lacustrine systems, remains poorly understood. To address this gap, we used restriction site-associated DNA-sequencing to assess the genetic structure and diversity of northern pike in two ecologically contrasting habitats: freshwater Vänern Lake, Sweden (8932 single nucleotide polimorphisms [SNPs]), and the brackish Baltic Sea around Saaremaa, Estonia (6899 SNPs). The results show strong genetic structuring and lower genetic diversity in brackish environment compared to the higher genetic diversity and extremely low genetic structuring observed in freshwater habitat. We found no evidence of divergent selection within environments. However, we identified 187 outlier SNPs and 62 outlier genes distinguishing the brackish and freshwater environments, potentially reflecting adaptation to salinity. Notably, several of these genes are associated with key biological processes, including osmotic stress regulation (akap13), early development (tfap2a) and pathogens response (tlr18). From a fisheries management perspective, our results indicate that the freshwater system can be managed as a single stock, while strong population structuring among Baltic coastal pike likely requires either large-scale solutions and/or population-specific fine-scale management efforts to maintain the genetic and life-history diversity among brackish coastal pike populations.

Rhizosphere microbial adaptation to salt stress in tomato under brackish water irrigation

Soil salinization and water scarcity pose critical threats to agricultural sustainability. Therefore, investigating the impacts of tillage practices and brackish water irrigation on the dynamic changes in soil water and salt is of great significance. To investigate the effects of fenlong-ridging deep tillage (FL) on soil water and salt distribution under brackish water irrigation, indoor soil column experiments were conducted comparing FL and conventional tillage (CT) across three irrigation water salinity conditions (0, 3, and 5 g·L−1). The dynamic changes in soil moisture content and electrical conductivity (EC) were measured. The HYDRUS-2D model was used to simulate transport processes under varying FL depths (40/60/80/100 cm). Results indicated that compared with CT, FL can promote water infiltration. Furthermore, FL obviously reduced EC in the 0–50 cm layer compared to CT. Simulations confirmed that increasing FL depth enhanced desalination. Notably, irrigation with 3 g·L−1 brackish water yielded higher EC reduction rates (26.04–30.12%) than 5 g·L−1 water. The combination of 3 g·L−1 salinity and 60 cm FL depth proved most effective; the soil electrical conductivity decreased by 28.28%. This study offers a feasible technical solution for the sustainable utilization of brackish water resources and the amelioration of saline soils.

Hydrochar derived from cashew bagasse has potential as a soil conditioner for agricultural use; however, its effectiveness in mitigating soil salinity and promoting plant growth remains uncertain. In this context, we hypothesized that hydrochar application would mitigate the effects of salinity by improving the chemical properties of surface soil layers and enhancing cowpea growth. Therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness of hydrochar from cashew bagasse in alleviating soil salinity caused by brackish water irrigation and investigated its influence on cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) growth and productivity under saline conditions. To this end, a greenhouse experiment was conducted using soil columns arranged in a completely randomized design with a 5 × 2 × 4 factorial scheme, consisting of five hydrochar doses, two irrigation salinity levels, and four soil layers, with four replicates. Soil properties, including pH, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, and exchangeable sodium percentage, were evaluated alongside cowpea biomass production and nutrient accumulation. Hydrochar application increased soil nutrient availability regardless of irrigation with brackish water. It also influenced pH and EC, suggesting enhanced salt leaching. Cowpea biomass production, growth, and nutrient accumulation improved significantly with hydrochar application. Hydrochar from cashew bagasse effectively improved soil chemical attributes and plant performance even under saline irrigation, with the strongest responses at 27.6–35.1 Mg ha⁻¹. However, higher doses (≥ 40 Mg ha⁻¹) may result in diminishing returns or adverse effects.