Human Health Effects Research Articles

Sick as a dog? The prevalence, politicization, and health policy consequences of canine vaccine hesitancy (CVH)

Canine vaccine hesitancy (CVH) can be thought about as dog owners’ skepticism about the safety and efficacy of administering routine vaccinations to their dogs. CVH is problematic not only because it may inspire vaccine refusal – which may in turn facilitate infectious disease spread in both canine and human populations – but because it may contribute to veterinary care provider mental/physical health risks. In a nationally representative survey of US adults (N = 2200), we introduce a novel survey-based instrument for measuring CVH. We document pervasive CVH in dog owner subpopulations. Troublingly, we find that CVH is associated with rabies non-vaccination, as well as opposition to evidence-based vaccine policies. We conclude by discussing the human and animal health consequences of CVH, and outline a research agenda for future opinion-based research on this important topic.

Effects of arsenic exposure on trace element levels in the hippocampus and cortex of rats and their gender differences

BackgroundExposure to arsenic (As) is a major public health challenge worldwide. Chronic exposure to As can cause various human health effects, including skin diseases, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, and cancer. Studies have shown that As exposure can lead to disturbances in the balance of trace elements in the body. Moreover, As readily crosses the blood-brain barrier and can be enriched in the hippocampus and cortex, causing neurotoxic damage. At present, there are few reports on the effect of As on trace element levels in the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, we sought to explore As-induced neurotoxicity and the effects of As on CNS trace element levels. MethodsAn As-induced neurological injury model in rats was established by feeding As chow for 90 days of continuous exposure, and 19 elements were detected in the hippocampus and cortex of As-exposed rats by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. ResultsThe results showed that the As levels in the hippocampus and cortex of As-exposed rats were significantly higher than those in the control group, The As levels in the cortex were significantly higher than in the hippocampus group. The levels of Cd, Ho, and Rb were increased in the hippocampus and decreased in Au, Ba, Ce, Cs, Pd, Se, Sr, and Tl in the As-exposed group, while the levels of Cd and Rb were increased and Se and Au were decreased in the cortex. Significant gender differences in the effects of As on hippocampal Cd, Ba, Rb, and Sr, and cortical Cd and Mo. ConclusionIt is suggested that elemental imbalance may be a risk factor for developing As toxicity plays a synergistic or antagonistic role in As-induced toxicity and is closely related to As-induced CNS damage.

Core-shell Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2 Magnetic Modified Ag for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Congo Red Dye and Antibacterial Activity

Disposal of dye wastewater can induce detrimental consequences for human health and the environment. The study aims to synthesize composites consisting of core-shell Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2 modified with Ag. The composites comprise a Fe3O4 core, a SiO2 interlayer, and a TiO2 shell, with Ag being mobilized on the surface of the core and shell structures. Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2@Ag composite was employed in the photocatalytic degradation of Congo red dye and antibacterial activity test. The degradation was facilitated by visible light irradiation while considering different factors such as pH solution, the photocatalyst dosage, and the dye's initial concentration. The composite was characterized using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy-Electron Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM), and UV-Vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS). The findings indicated that the composite exhibited strong magnetic, measuring 49.4 emu/g, with a band gap of 2.92 eV. The composite showed commendable catalytic properties, with degradation efficiency of 96.52% for Congo red dye under conditions: a pH solution of 4, a dosage of 0.5 g/L, and a dye concentration of 10 mg/L at 100 min of irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation kinetic is align with pseudo-first-order reactions. The composite also exhibits remarkable stability and efficiency with 4.83% decline in degradation efficiency after five cycles. Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2@Ag composite exhibited antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with a Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) value of 250 mg/L. Copyright © 2023 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Fate of Amadori compounds in processing and digestion of multi-ingredients tomato based sauces and their effect on other microconstituents

Amadori compounds (ACs), the first stable products of Maillard reaction, are detected in various products of fruits and vegetables, and show an antioxidant activity which can be related to beneficial effects in human health. In order to optimize the nutritional quality of a multi-ingredient tomato sauce (tomato puree – onion – olive oil – dried pepper), the fate of ACs during processing (drying, heating) and gastrointestinal digestion of a model meal was assessed as well as that of other microconstituents, i.e. carotenoids, phenolic compounds and capsaicinoids. The drying at 50 °C of fresh pepper induced the formation and accumulation of ACs after 6 days. During the heat treatment by microwave of multi-ingredient tomato sauce, Maillard reaction occurs in presence of dried pepper and the content in ACs in the tomato-based sauces increased (+33% to + 53%) depending of quantities of dried pepper added. The bioaccessibility of total ACs was 24–31% in duodenal phase and 18–22% in jejunal phase. Individual ACs have shown variable bioaccessibility, e.g. very high for Fru-Arg (50.8% to 71.3%), and very low for Fru-Met (1.8% to 2.2%). The kinetic monitoring of ACs in digestion medium showed that ACs are not stable (-46% in gastric phase, −49 % in intestinal phase) which indicated their potential degradation in the digestive tract. The presence of ACs in the multi-ingredients tomato sauces had no effect on the content of the other bioactive compounds monitored in the study and even promoted the bioaccessibility of total lycopene (+30%) but decreased the bioaccessibility of total phenolic compounds.

Prevalence of Anemia, Knowledge, Attitude and Compliance Related to Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation Programme among the Adolescents in Selected School of South East Delhi

Prevalence of Anemia, Knowledge, Attitude and Compliance Related to Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation Programme among the Adolescents in Selected School of South East Delhi

The presence of NORMs and toxic heavy metals in talcum baby powder

Baby talcum powder is one of the popular baby care products used for keeping the baby's skin dry and preventing diaper rash. In the past few years, there has been a growing concern on the presence of toxic heavy metals within the baby talcum powder due to its potential threat to human health and environmental effects. However, its natural radioactivity content is much less considered where it may pose similar health risks to the consumers. The present study examines the radioactivity and heavy metals concentration towards the commonly used baby powders in Malaysia, including Pureen, Johnson's, Carrie Junior and Zwitsal, utilizing the High Purity Germanium (HPGe) gamma-ray spectrometry and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Individual health risk assessment has been conducted through the estimation of absorbed dose rate due to the exposure of ionizing radiation from the three long-lived primordial radionuclides of 226Ra, 228Ra and 40K through the usage of baby powders. The assessment revealed that an individual might be exposed to an average radiation dose rate of 0.518 pGy h−1, albeit lower than the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) reference exposure dose limit of 59 nGy h−1 for terrestrial radionuclides. In regards to heavy metals toxicity, all baby powders are within the permissible limits of heavy metals concentration recommended by the National Pharmaceuticals Regulatory Agency (NPRA), ASEAN Cosmetic Scientific Body (ACSB) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) except for Ni where its concentrations were slightly above the permissible value of 0.6 ppm outlined by FDA. Prolonged use of baby powders contaminated with such heavy metal may pose a significant risk to human health and the environment due to its toxic metal loading. These results emphasize the need for periodic monitoring and quality control of baby powders to ensure they meet safety standards and minimize potential risks to human health and the environment.

Template-assisted synthesis of Co1Zn0.5–P/CoO/ZnO core-shell heterostructure for the electrochemical detection of carbofuran and diuron

Currently, numerous lethal hazardous substances such as insecticides, and pesticides exist in the water bodies, food products causing acute health effects in humans and animals. It is crucial to monitor & control the level of toxicity in the water bodies, and daily food cycle with rapid and cost-effective detection techniques. Therefore, we have chosen the electrochemical sensing technique for the individual & simultaneous determination of carbofuran (CF) and diuron (DU) in environmental water and food samples. Herein, the core–shell structured Co1Zn0.5-P/CoO/ZnO hybrid was prepared as a dynamic electrocatalyst for the sensing of CF and DU. The microstructural features of the Co1Zn0.5-P/CoO/ZnO hybrid having a large surface area offers more electrocatalytic sites for electrochemical performances. Remarkably, the fabricated Co1Zn0.5-P/CoO/ZnO/GCE has enhanced active sites arising by the heterostructure results in an excellent detection limit of 1.94 nM for CF and a 4.04 nM for DU with linear concentrations of 2–429 µM (CF) and 2–149 µM (DU) for individual detection. Besides, the achieved LODs were 2.98 and 2.52 nM for simultaneous sensing of CF and DU with the linearity of 2–185 µM. The Co1Zn0.5-P/CoO/ZnO/GCE demonstrated with good storage stability, reproducibility, and excellent selectivity for CF and DU along with the potential interfering species. The environmental and food samples were analyzed to determine the levels of CF and DU, the recovery results were found to be the suitable candidate for the real-time sensing performances.

Enhanced open biomass burning detection: The BranTNet approach using UAV aerial imagery and deep learning for environmental protection and health preservation

Open biomass burning (OBB) in agriculture presents a significant and well-documented challenge, posing severe consequences for both environmental and human health. OBB releases air pollutants that degrade air quality and contribute to climate change, leading to premature deaths in regions with high concentrations of open crop straw burning (OCSB) emissions. Although policies aimed at prohibiting OBB are in place, the efficacy of these regulations in mitigating OCSB emissions remains ambiguous. Consequently, early prevention and monitoring of open biomass combustion are imperative for environmental preservation. Traditional monitoring techniques, reliant on fixed-position cameras, are constrained by their location and monitoring intensity, making concealed fire recognition a complex problem. To address this limitation and monitor the human living environment more flexibly and accurately, we propose a new method to identify straw fires in UAV Aerial Image Using CNN Branch Reinforce Transformer which named BranTNet, enabling early detection and rapid response to crop straw fires. By integrating computer vision technology and deep learning algorithms, straw fires in UAV-acquired aerial survey images can be detected and categorized. In the realm of artificial intelligence algorithms, we skillfully merge convolution and attention mechanisms, harnessing the full potential of both methodologies. Moreover, we seamlessly incorporate transfer learning, skillfully unifying self-training convolution modules with pre-trained transformer modules. This strategic amalgamation not only minimizes time costs but also ensures optimal experimental outcomes. Regarding data, we meticulously collected a substantial number of authentic samples, ensuring the sufficiency of our experimental dataset. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method exhibits exceptional accuracy and robustness in detecting and identifying straw fires in UAV aerial survey images. Our approach outperforms the use of convolution or attention mechanisms alone. By integrating this approach with drone technology, we unlock the potential for developing more versatile and precise monitoring solutions, expanding the application of drones to diverse domains. This progress contributes significantly to the early detection and prevention of crop straw fires, fundamentally reducing environmental pollution, curbing carbon emissions, and advancing the cause of carbon neutrality. This innovative technique for monitoring and preventing OBB holds substantial promise in mitigating the adverse effects of OBB on the environment and human health.

Integrating different tools and technologies to advance drinking water quality exposure assessments.

Contaminants in drinking water are a major contributor to the human exposome and adverse health effects. Assessing drinking water exposure accurately in health studies is challenging, as several of the following study design domains should be addressed as adequately as possible. In this paper, we identify the domains Time, Space, Data Quality, Data Accessibility, economic considerations of Study Size, and Complex Mixtures. We present case studies for three approaches or technologies that address these domains differently in the context of exposure assessment of drinking water quality: regulated contaminants in monitoring databases, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS)-based wide-scope chemical analysis, and effect-based bioassay methods. While none of these approaches address all the domains sufficiently, together they have the potential to carry out exposure assessments that would complement each other and could advance the state-of-science towards more accurate risk analysis. The aim of our study is to give researchers investigating health effects of drinking water quality the impetus to consider how their exposure assessments relate to the above-mentioned domains and whether it would be worthwhile to integrate the advanced technologies presented into planned risk analyses. We highly suggest this three-pronged approach should be further evaluated in health risk analyses, especially epidemiological studies concerning contaminants in drinking water. The state of the knowledge regarding potential benefits of these technologies, especially when applied in tandem, provides more than sufficient evidence to support future research to determine the implications of combining the approaches described in our case studies in terms of protection of public health.

Biological Magnification of Microplastics: A Look at the Induced Reproductive Toxicity from Simple Invertebrates to Complex Vertebrates

The issue of microplastic (MP) pollution is one of the most pressing environmental problems faced today and for the future. Plastics are ubiquitous due to their exponential use and mismanagement, resulting in the accumulation of fragments across the world. Hence, the problem of MP pollution is aggravated when these plastic items disintegrate into smaller particles due to different physical, chemical, and environmental factors. The consumption of these MP pollutants by wildlife is a worldwide concern and a potentially crucial risk for all ecosystems. Consequently, MPs have caused a wide variety of problems for both public health and wildlife concerning vital life processes—specifically reproduction, which is critical to species’ survival in an ecosystem. Despite MPs’ detrimental effects on wildlife reproduction, it remains unclear how MPs can affect the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis. This review highlights the significant reproductive toxicity of MPs in wildlife, with potentially devastating consequences for human health. The findings emphasize the urgency of developing effective solutions for mitigating the adverse effects of MP pollution on the reproductive systems of wildlife and preserving the integrity of aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

Air quality in Tehran, Iran: Spatio-temporal characteristics, human health effects, economic costs and recommendations for good practice

Air quality in Tehran, Iran: Spatio-temporal characteristics, human health effects, economic costs and recommendations for good practice

Green synthesis of stable CuFe2O4/CuO-rGO heterostructure photocatalyst using basil seeds as chemo-reactors for improved oxytetracycline degradation

Complex structures of pharmaceutical antibiotics prevent their natural degradation by traditional remediation strategies, resulting in persistent environmental pollution and reproduction of destructive bacteria, that pose hazardous human health consequences. As a workaround, basil seed biomass resource-derived CuFe2O4/CuO-graphene like carbon S-scheme heterostructure, aiming to eliminate the oxytetracycline (OTC) antibiotic in a persulfate activation helical plug flow photoreactor (HPFPR), is developed via a hydrothermally coupled pyrolysis approach. The champion CuFe2O4/CuO-graphene like carbon manifests the best photo-degradation efficiency (87.49% within 90 min) with the photoreaction rate constant of 0.0495 min−1 for OTC degradation. The desirable photo-degradation efficiency was assigned to the higher visible-light absorbance, built-in interfacial electric field and reduced recombination of charge carriers, and superior redox capability due to the S-scheme heterojunction. The HPFPR's performance was verified by a 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model and central composite design (CCD). As proposed CuFe2O4/CuO-rGO demonstrated significant reusability and stability owing to the presence of a carbon shell. The scale-up in-situ synthesis of environmentally friendly, large-scale metal oxide heterojunctions in natural carbon supports offer novel insights in photocatalytic production for promising water treatment applications.

Alternative and legacy flame retardants in marine mammals from three northern ocean regions

Flame retardants are globally distributed contaminants that have been linked to negative health effects in humans and wildlife. As top predators, marine mammals bioaccumulate flame retardants and other contaminants in their tissues which is one of many human-imposed factors threatening population health. While some flame retardants, such as the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), have been banned because of known toxicity and environmental persistence, limited data exist on the presence and distribution of current-use alternative flame retardants in marine mammals from many industrialized and remote regions of the world. Therefore, this study measured 44 legacy and alternative flame retardants in nine marine mammal species from three ocean regions: the Northwest Atlantic, the Arctic, and the Baltic allowing for regional, species, age, body condition, temporal, and tissue comparisons to help understand global patterns. PBDE concentrations were 100–1000 times higher than the alternative brominated flame retardants (altBFRs) and Dechloranes. 2,2′,4,5,5′-pentabromobiphenyl (BB-101) and hexabromobenzene (HBBZ) were the predominant altBFRs, while Dechlorane-602 was the predominant Dechlorane. This manuscript also reports only the second detection of hexachlorocyclopentadienyl-dibromocyclooctane (HCDBCO) in marine mammals. The NW Atlantic had the highest PBDE concentrations followed by the Baltic and Arctic which reflects greater historical use of PBDEs in North America compared to Europe and greater industrialization of North America and Baltic countries compared to the Arctic. Regional patterns for other compounds were more complicated, and there were significant interactions among species, regions, body condition and age class. Lipid-normalized PBDE concentrations in harbor seal liver and blubber were similar, but HBBZ and many Dechloranes had higher concentrations in liver, indicating factors other than lipid dynamics affect the distribution of these compounds. The health implications of contamination by this mixture of compounds are of concern and require further research.

Remediation potential of mining, agro-industrial, and urban wastes against acid mine drainage

Acid mine drainage (AMD) poses serious consequences for human health and ecosystems. Novel strategies for its treatment involve the use of wastes. This paper evaluates the remediation potential of wastes from urban, mining and agro-industrial activities to address acidity and high concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTE) in AMD. Samples of these waste products were spiked with an artificially prepared AMD, then pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and PTE concentrations in the leachates were measured. The artificial AMD obtained through oxidation of Aznalcóllar’s tailing showed an ultra-acid character (pH − 2.89 ± 0.03) and extreme high electrical conductivity (EC − 3.76 ± 0.14 dS m−1). Moreover, most PTE were above maximum regulatory levels in natural and irrigation waters. Wastes studied had a very high acid neutralising capacity, as well as a strong capacity to immobilise PTE. Inorganic wastes, together with vermicompost from pruning, reduced most PTE concentrations by over 95%, while organic wastes retained between 50 and 95%. Thus, a wide range of urban, mining, and agro-industrial wastes have a high potential to be used in the treatment of AMD. This study provides valuable input for the development of new eco-technologies based on the combination of wastes (eg. Technosols, permeable reactive barriers) to remediate degraded environments.

Sea Level Rise Impacts in Coastal Areas and Possible Mitigation Engineering Approaches

Coastal areas are subjected to both natural and man-made actions, leading to a deterioration of coastal structures. Climate change has had a heavy impact on these areas in recent years. An important consequence of these actions is sea level rise. This phenomenon is the most important cause of coastal erosion, a serious problem with ecological, economic, and human health consequences. The countermeasures to contrast this phenomenon and the degradation of the entire coastal system, are represented by engineering interventions. These basically consist of approaches for adaptation to sea level rise, namely protection, retreat, and accommodation. Variations and site adaptation of these actions can involve procedures of no intervention; advancement; protection; retreat; accommodation; and ecosystem-based adaptation. While these procedures have provided coastal benefits and protection, in the long run, they may cause further coastal disruption and further aggravate the situation. Such interventions, therefore, require an accurate assessment of the advantages and disadvantages. However, it is certainly necessary to proceed with actions aimed at mitigating climate change, respecting the rules in a sustainable way.

Benefits of Short-term Premature Mortality Reduction Attributed to PM2.5 Pollution: A Case Study in Long an Province, Vietnam.

PM2.5 pollution exposure is the leading cause of disease burden globally, especially in low- and middle-income countries, including Vietnam. Therefore, economic damage in this context must be quantified. Long An province in the Southern Key Economic (SKE) region was selected as a research area. This study aimed to evaluate PM2.5-related human health effects causing early deaths attributable to respiratory, cardiovascular, and circulatory diseases in all ages and genders. Health end-points and health impact estimation, economic loss model, groups of PM2.5 concentration data, data of exposed population, data of baseline premature mortality rate, and data of health impact functions were used. Hourly PM2.5 concentration data sets were generated specifically using the coupled Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF)/Community Multiscale Air Quality Modelling System (CMAQ) models. Daily PM2.5 pollution levels considered mainly in the dry season (from January to April 2018) resulted in 12.9 (95% CI -0.6; 18.7) all-cause premature deaths per 100,000 population, of which 7.8 (95% CI 1.1; 7.1), 1.5 (95% CI -0.2; 3.1), and 3.6 (95% CI -1.5; 8.5) were due to respiratory diseases (RDs; 60.54%), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs; 11.81%), and circulatory system diseases (CSDs; 27.65%) per 100,000 population, respectively. The total economic losses due to acute PM2.5 exposure-related premature mortality cases reached 62.0 (95% CI -2.7; 89.6) billion VND, equivalent to 8.3 (95% CI -0.4; 12.0) million USD. The study outcomes contributed remarkably to the generation and development of data sources for effectively managing ambient air quality in Long An.

Lead and lead isotopes as tracers of soil contamination in southwestern Nigeria

The association of soil Pb levels has received considerable attention in recent times in developing countries like Nigeria due to its human health and environmental effect. Unfortunately, the sources of the pollutant has not been resolved for environmental health interest. Therefore, the aim of this study is to trace the sources of Pb contamination using the isotopic composition of Pb in the soil. Thirty (30) soil samples were collected at 0-20 cm depth in 3 different land-use zones, industrial area (IDA, n=10), municipal solid waste facility (MSW, n=10), and traffic section (TRS, n=10). In addition, 3 rock (gneisses) and 3 blacksmith dust samples were collected in the study area for comparison. Properties of the soil such as physico-chemical parameters (pH, organic content, and soil texture) and mineralogical composition were determined to understand the distribution of Pb in the soil of the study area. Similarly, the samples were analyzed for their Pb concentrations and Pb isotopic compositions using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The soil pH, organic matter, and texture were slightly acidic (4.9-6.9), average organic content (7.9-19.1%), and sandy clay loam in nature, respectively. Therefore, the Pb distribution was enhanced by the physico-chemical parameters. However, the mineral constituent of the soil in order of their abundance include quartz, feldspars, illite-muscovite, kaolinite, Biotite, goethite, and hematite. Consequently, there is no Pb-rich primary mineral in the soil. The environmental assessment of Pb in the study area showed that all the zones were contaminated on the basis of the average contamination factor and geoaccumulation index values. Similarly, the ecological risk factor estimation of Pb showed that the three zones had moderate potential ecological risk factors (41-54). The isotopic compositions of 208Pb/207Pb, and 206Pb/207Pb of the contaminated soil were lower than the corresponding component in gneisses, while the composition of 208Pb/206Pb was higher than the gneisses. Furthermore, the standard plot of (208Pb/207Pb) vs (206Pb/207Pb) showed clearly that the source of Pb in the contaminated soil was mainly from anthropogenic sources.Therefore, from the Pb concentration and isotopic composition acquired, the Pb contamination was mainly sourced from anthropogenic activities from the study area. These sources mainly include scrap metal recycling industry, vehicle emission and domestic and industrial waste. So, more effective remediation strategies need to be developed to reduce the contamination.

Alleviatory Effects of Silicon and 24-Epibrassinolide in Modulation of Growth, Osmolytes, Metabolites, Antioxidant Defense System, and Gene Expression in Lead-Exposed Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) Plants

Amplified concentrations of lead (Pb) in cultivable soils, being a major environmental concern, bring about malicious consequences for plant and human health. Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) is a multipurpose herb used as a spice, tonic, leafy vegetable, and therapeutic agent. Earlier works have revealed the inhibitory effects of Pb toxicity in Trigonella, affecting its growth and productivity. Therefore, the current experimental work was planned with the purpose of evaluating the effects of exogenously supplemented silicon (Si; 2 mM) and 24-epibrassinolide (24-EBL; 10−7 M) (in both individual and combined form) on growth attributes, osmolytes, metabolite measures, and antioxidant defense mechanisms of Trigonella foenum-graecum plants in response to three discrete concentrations of Pb stress (0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 mM). The results revealed that Pb stress affected morphological parameters of fenugreek plants via the genesis of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as indicated by higher measures of oxidative damage indicators like malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Spraying foliage with Si together with a pretreatment of 24-EBL alone as well as in a combined form yielded better outcomes in terms of growth parameters in the Pb-stressed plants. Pb toxicity decreased osmolytes, proteins, and metabolites. Components of the antioxidative defense system, i.e., enzymes [ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT), together with non-enzymes [ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH), were downregulated when subjected to Pb toxicity. Out of all, Pb III (0.9 mM) had a more adverse impact on various parameters in fenugreek compared to Pb I (0.5 mM) and Pb II (0.7 mM). However, external supplementation with Si and 24-EBL (individually and in combination) ameliorated the Pb-mediated oxidative stress in fenugreek plants by improving the content of different osmolytes and metabolites while upregulating the functioning of the antioxidative defense system. Downregulation in the expression of SOD and CAT genes was found in Pb-stressed plants, while their expression was upregulated by Si and 24-EBL both individually and in combination. The experimental study revealed that the combined application of Si and 24-EBL was significantly better at abating the Pb metal stress in fenugreek plants when compared with their individual applications.

Skin sensitisation prediction using read-across, an illustrative next generation risk assessment (NGRA) case study for vanillin

Skin sensitisation is a key adverse human health effect to be addressed in the safety assessment of cosmetic ingredients. Regulatory demands and scientific progress have led to the development of a Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) framework, relying on the use of New Approach Methodologies (NAM) Defined Approaches (DA) and read-across instead of generating animal data. This case study illustrates the application of read-across for the prediction of the skin sensitisation potential of vanillin at the hypothetical use concentration of 0.5% in a shower gel and face cream. A three-step process was applied to select the most suitable analogues based on their protein reactivity, structural characteristics, physicochemical properties, skin metabolism profile and availability of skin sensitisation data. The applied read-across approach predicted a weak skin sensitiser potential for vanillin corresponding with a Local Lymph Node Assay EC3 value of 10%. Based on this EC3 value a point of departure of 2500 μg/cm2 was derived, resulting in an acceptable exposure level (AEL) of 25 μg/cm2. Because the consumer exposure levels (CEL) for the face cream (13.5 μg/cm2) and shower gel (0.05 μg/cm2) scenarios were lower than the AEL, the NGRA concluded both uses as safe.

Investigating the current trend of selected heavy metal pollution with possible ecological and human health effects along the uMgeni River of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

ABSTRACT This study aims to evaluate the concentrations, water quality analysis and health risk assessment of metals contained in water, soil and sediment samples along the uMgeni River, Durban, South Africa. Eleven heavy metals were studied and analysed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES). The concentrations of the heavy metal in water samples were in the order of As > Mn > Cd > Cr > Mo > Zn > Cu > Co > Ag > Ni with Pb not been detected in the water samples. All the heavy metals were found to be higher than the tolerable limits for safe drinking water as provided by the WHO and USEPA except for the Zn and Pb which were lower. The water quality index, heavy metal environmental index, and heavy metal toxicity index revealed that the quality of the water is poor and unfit for both domestic and irrigation uses. Similarly, the health risk assessment revealed that both carcinogenic-non-carcinogenic risk values for the heavy metals were higher than the threshold values provided by the USEPA and were more prevalent for children than adults.