Manual assessment of toxic fungal infection levels in crop seeds is important for developing antifungal-resistant cultivars, yet it has long been recognized as health-risking and inherently subjective. This study presents an edge computing-based computer vision approach for high-throughput on-site assessment and quantification of Aspergillus flavus infection in crop seeds. The edge computing-based computer vision approach, termed Edge CV, was developed using the Jetson Nano, embedded cameras, and deployed with the proposed Edge CV model to enable intelligent evaluation with constrained computing resources and GPU power. The Edge CV model: First, leveraging semantic segmentation in computer vision tasks to differentiate between A. flavus -infected and uninfected; Second, utilizing post-processing techniques to accurately separate connected peanut seeds while merging segments belonging to the same ones; Third, analyzing and quantifying infection indices, as well as results presentation. Finally, deep transfer learning was employed to validate the model’s transferability for other crop seeds. As a result, Edge CV inference showed agreement with manual measurements (R 2 = 0.901, RMSE = 0.07) and superior consistency, with only a 0.01% fluctuation compared to 4.2% for human assessments. Moreover, Edge CV demonstrated its transferability to other crop seeds, such as maize (R 2 = 0.968, RMSE = 0.13) and rice (R 2 = 0.949, RMSE = 0.26). These results underscore the potential of Edge CV as a transferable solution for assessing toxic fungal infections. The approach developed also offers valuable insights for enhancing proximal machine vision, improving the distinction of adjacent seeds, and enabling more accurate calculation of the infection index.

The improved auxin signalling via entire mutation enhances aluminium tolerance in tomato.

Microbial ecological networks reveal community reorganization along a sediment biotoxicity gradient.

Valorization of adsorbent spent is a modern trend to maximize the utilization of absorption waste. Analytical methods, inclusive Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), were applied to evaluate the adsorbent spent (Zn-Co-Fe/LDH @ heavy metal). We examined the mechanistic toxicological effects of heavy metals within an animal model (rats) via probit analysis to evaluate the safety and acute toxicity of the spent adsorbent. The acute toxicity was evaluated and documented for 24h, and it persisted for 14days. A diverse multitude of toxic impacts on a different of body organs and tissues is the consequence of the bioaccumulation of these heavy metals. The rodents were weighed daily, and a variety of observations, like mortality, injury, behavior, and any indications of disease, were conducted. The safety and toxicological analyses were conducted using Probit analysis. The acute toxicity evaluation revealed varying safety profiles for the spent adsorbents. Zn-Co-Fe/LDH-As exhibited the lowest level of toxicity with an LD50 of 370mg/kg and a calculated safe dose of 18.5mg/kg. In contrast, the highest toxicity was observed for Zn-Co-Fe/LDH-Pb (LD50 = 103.7mg/kg; safe dose = 5.2mg/kg), followed by Zn-Co-Fe/LDH-Hg (LD50 = 204mg/kg; safe dose = 10.2mg/kg). These results quantify the biological risk associated with metal-laden adsorbents and establish the safety benchmarks required for their sustainable valorization. Evaluations of biochemical parameters and hematological analysis were conducted at the conclusion of each investigation. Comparative to the controls, gross findings were obtained from the histopathological examination of the animals' vital organs, which included the heart, lung, kidney, liver, and stomach. Our safety and toxicological data demonstrated the safety of layered double hydroxide (LDH) efficacy in adsorption, as well as a lower level of toxicity for LDH/As after adsorption. The iron content within the Zn-Co-Fe/LDH framework remained structurally integrated; however, the observed hematological alterations suggest a potential interference with iron metabolism or heme synthesis following exposure to heavy-metal laden adsorbents.

Industrial Air Toxicant Exposure and Individual Mortality: Evidence from the Americans' Changing Lives Cohort, 1986-2019.

The choice of substrates and their composition play a crucial role in supporting the growth of microorganisms and enhancing overall microbial fuel cells (MFCs) performance. Traditionally used substrates, such as glucose and acetate, are now being replaced by innovative alternatives like biomass materials and food waste. Consequently, this research focuses on the use of cow dung as an organic substrate in MFCs, examining its role in microbial metabolism, bioenergy production, and the bioremediation of toxic metals. The MFC processes were conducted over 40 days, during which a peak voltage output of 485 mV was recorded on day 26. The MFC cycle generates maximum metal bioremediation efficiencies of 89.16 ± 0.04% for Al3+, 89.17 ± 0.46% for Cu2+, 92.86 ± 0.11% for Pb2+, 91.37 ± 0.4% for Zn2+, and 92.01 ± 0.16% for Hg2+, respectively indicating its potential in ameliorating toxic metal levels from wastewater. Two-way ANOVA revealed that bioremediation efficiency (%) was significantly influenced by metal ion type (p < 0.001) and operational duration (p < 0.001), with a significant Metal × Operational Days interaction (p < 0.001), indicating metal-specific temporal responses. Post-hoc Tukey HSD analysis confirmed significant differences among most metal-day combinations, demonstrating progressive, time-dependent enhancement of bioremediation efficiency. The substrate was applied to the anodic region constantly throughout the experiment. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) revealed distinct redox peaks, confirming active bioelectrochemical processes, while electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) indicated reduced internal resistance and enhanced electron transfer efficiency. SEM-EDX revealed the extent of biofilms and toxicity level of the operation. Furthermore, microbial analysis was investigated on the anode electrode after MFC operation. The probable bacterial species identified were Bacillus subtilis, Providencia rettgeri, Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus aureus, Morgarella morganii and Providencia alcalifaciens. This study has shown that cow dung is a potential substrate for generation of electric current and bioremediation of toxic metals in MFC.

In the current study, four Indonesian medicinal plants, namely Curcuma xanthorrhiza D. Dietr (Temulawak: TL), Syzygium polyanthum (Wight) Walp (Daun Salam: DS), Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees (Sambiloto: SL), and Cinnamomum verum J. Presl (Kayu Manis: KM), were formulated into a Jamu intentionally for diabetes (JM), which was chemically profiled using Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR), and evaluated for its toxicity level via mortality and behaviour of zebrafish. The 1H-NMR analysis identified a total of 30 metabolites, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that JM clustered independently from the individual plant extracts, with consistent presence of all plants’ key metabolites in JM. Zebrafish acute toxicity study showed that JM extract showed no mortality up to 800 mg/L with no significant signs of toxicity related to stress or anxiety based on behavioural assessments. This suggests that the unique chemical composition of JM contributes to the synergistic phytochemical activity associated with its low toxicity and therapeutic efficacy.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are recognized as significant risk factors for developing anxiety and depression later in life. During pregnancy, such experiences can have detrimental outcomes. This study aimed to determine the relationship between ACEs, anxiety and depression prevalence and history of interpersonal violence (IPV) among pregnant women. In this cross-sectional study, pregnant women in their third trimester were enrolled from five antenatal clinics in Lagos, Nigeria. Questionnaires utilized included sociodemographic details, IPV experiences, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), and Anxiety and Depression symptoms using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28 was used to analyse data. Mean age of participants (n= 500) was 29.7 years (SD ± 5.2). Prevalence of probable depression and anxiety was 19.2% and 15% respectively, and 10.2% had toxic stress levels based on high ACE scores. Statistically significant relationships were found between toxic ACE scores and the presence of depression (p &lt; 0.001) and anxiety (p &lt; 0.002). There was a significant relationship between toxic ACE scores and IPV history obtained. This study highlights an association between reported adverse childhood experiences and prevalence of probable depression and anxiety in pregnant women in the study location. Integration of ACE and IPV screening and support in prenatal care is proposed as a strategy to aid detection and by extension improve maternal and infant mental health outcomes.

Towards a novel toxicity prediction pipeline, combining PBPK models and mechanistic cellular adversity models.

Fixed PTV margins of 3mm as applied in current head and neck cancer (HNC) VMAT treatment planning may be suboptimal for individual patients. In robust planning, the PTV is omitted and the plan is directly optimized on the CTV. In this study we developed a robust VMAT planning strategy to ensure robust CTV coverage for all patients, while keeping toxicity levels as low as possible. We included 20 HNC patients that received a 35 fraction treatment with a primary dose of 70Gy and elective dose of 54.25Gy. We applied robust planning in two steps. First, the robust coverage of the clinical PTV-based plans was assessed using the CTV V95% ≥ 98% as coverage criteria in the voxel-wise minimum (vw-min) dose distribution, which was constructed from 6 orthogonal and 8 diagonal treatment delivery scenarios with a 3mm patient shift. Second, based on the robust evaluation, in the clinical plans that showed robust CTV coverage, OAR doses were reduced while preserving robust CTV coverage. In the non-robust clinical plans (CTV V95% < 98% in the vw-min dose distribution), robust optimization was performed with 6 orthogonal treatment delivery scenarios with a 3mm patient shift plus a nominal scenario, to achieve robust CTV coverage, while OAR dose was only reduced where possible. Additional treatment planning time was recorded to assess clinical feasibility. Normal tissue complication probabilities (NTCP) were calculated to compare expected toxicities between PTV-based and robust optimized plan. While 9/20 clinical plans initially showed insufficient CTV coverage in the vw-min dose distribution, after robust optimization all plans had robust CTV coverage. Robust planning took on average 20min. For all patients, robust optimized plans had equal or reduced NTCPs compared to the PTV-based plans. Median reductions of OAR mean dose in the oral cavity and parotid glands, as well as all NTCPs, were statistically significant. Median NTCP reductions were largest for dysphagia grade 2+ (-1.4%). We introduced a robust VMAT planning strategy for HNC which ensured robust CTV coverage and statistically significant NTCP reductions.

Prostate stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) can be delivered using magnetic resonance imaging-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) with the aim of increased precision and reduced toxicity. The overall treatment time (OTT) for SBRT varies, ranging from daily fractions to once-weekly schedules. However, it is unclear whether OTT affects clinical outcomes when using MRgRT. The aim of this study was to establish whether OTT impacts toxicity, quality of life (QoL), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) control in prostate MRgRT. For this study, outcomes from the Multi-OutcoMe EvaluatioN of radiation Therapy Using the MR-Linac (MOMENTUM) study were utilised (NCT04075305). Patients with localised prostate cancer receiving 36.25 Gy to 40 Gy in five fractions, of whom OTT was available, were analysed. Physician-reported Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (CTCAE) toxicity, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and PSA dynamics were collected at baseline and at three, six, twelve, and 24 months after MRgRT. Univariate ordinal logistic regression and mixed model analysis were performed to study the impact of OTT on changes in genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity, and QoL and PSA levels compared to baseline, respectively. A total of 858 patients were included with a median OTT of 14 days, ranging from five to 47 days. Excluding erectile function, no grade ≥3 GU or GI toxicity was reported. The OTT was not associated with acute or late GU toxicity (odds ratio [OR]: 0.97 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.92-1.02]; P = 0.21 and OR 0.99 [95% CI: 0.94-1.05]; P = 0.83) or acute and late GI toxicity (OR 0.89 [95% CI: 0.79-1.00]; P = 0.05 and OR 0.99 [95% CI: 0.92-1.07]; P = 0.83). In addition, OTT had no apparent impact on QoL scores and PSA kinetics. This study suggests that OTT, generally between 8 and 18 days, in five-fraction MRgRT for prostate cancer does not affect GU and GI toxicity, QoL and PSA control. Clinicians should consider discussing OTT with patients as this will facilitate treating patients to the time frame that suits them best, reducing the impact of treatment on their QoL, whilst also allowing flexibility for busy departments.

Vancomycin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is a well-documented adverse effect, particularly in high-risk populations such as patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and augmented renal clearance (ARC). However, optimal dosing strategies for diabetic patients with ARC remain unclear, increasing the risk of nephrotoxicity. A 36-year-old male with newly diagnosed T2DM (HbA1c 11.6%) and ARC (baseline estimation of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 270-301 mL/min/1.73m2) developed AKI following high-dose vancomycin therapy (1.5g q8h) for a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) abscess. Despite initially subtherapeutic trough levels (8.83μg/mL), the patient experienced AKI (serum creatinine: 195μmol/L; eGFR 36.1mL/min) coinciding with a toxic trough level (75.84μg/mL) on day 7 after vancomycin administration. AKI resolved after vancomycin discontinuation and aggressive hydration. Diabetic patients with ARC are at increased risk of vancomycin-induced AKI, even with subtherapeutic troughs. Close renal function monitoring, individualized dosing, and consideration of AUC-based protocols or alternative antibiotics (e.g., linezolid) are essential for mitigating nephrotoxicity. Further pharmacokinetic studies in this population are warranted to optimize therapeutic outcomes.

To systematically estimate the levels, prevalence, and related factors of toxic leadership among nurses outside the United States. Toxic leadership contributes to nurse burnout, turnover, and reduced care quality, yet its extent and determinants remain unclear. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 10 databases were searched from inception to February 2025. Eligible quantitative studies were synthesized using meta-analyses to pool mean scores, SDs, and prevalence rates. Twenty-eight studies comprising 13,010 nurses in practice settings outside the United States were included. The pooled mean toxic leadership score was 2.36 (95% CI: 1.89-2.83), and the pooled prevalence of high toxic leadership was 29% (95% CI: 10%-48%). Nurses outside the United States experience moderate toxic leadership levels, with nearly 1/3 exposed to high levels. Both individual and organizational factors contribute to these perceptions, underscoring the need for leadership training and system-level interventions to improve nurse well-being and care quality.

Comprehensive toxicological profiling of Costus pictus D. Don methanolic leaf extract using in-vitro and in-vivo model.

Synthesis, molecular docking, toxicity profile and antidiabetic properties of new dipeptide Sulfonamide bearing carboxamides

Toxicological responses of Litopenaeus vannamei to short-term ferric chloride exposure: implications for histopathology, oxidative stress, and intestinal microbiota.

ABSTRACT Several species of the genus Gyromitra—commonly known as “false morels”—are traditionally consumed in different parts of the world, despite their potential toxicity due to the presence of monomethylhydrazine, a volatile compound. In some taxa, monomethylhydrazine content has been linked to environmental factors such as elevation, potentially influencing toxicity levels. In southern South America, ethnomycological records indicate that Gyromitra species are collected and consumed by indigenous communities. However, their taxonomy and toxicological profile remain poorly understood. In this study, we examined the phylogenetic identity and hydrazine content of Gyromitra specimens collected across a Patagonian elevation gradient. Molecular analyses based on nuclear internal transcribed spacer, large subunit, and elongation factor-1 alpha sequences confirmed the identity of all specimens as G. antarctica. Hydrazine content was quantified in 82 fresh samples collected between 300 and 800 m above sea level, revealing a significant negative correlation between elevation and toxin concentration (ρ = −0.79, P < 0.001). Two boiling treatments —10 min without water exchange, and 2 × 5 min with water exchange—reduced hydrazine levels by 97% and 94%, respectively. However, residual toxins were detected in the boiling water of both treatments. These findings provide new insights into the taxonomy and elevation-dependent toxicity of Gyromitra in the Southern Hemisphere. They also underscore the risks associated with the consumption of wild false morels and highlight the importance of informed and adequate culinary practices to reduce toxicity.

A study was conducted on the secondary metabolite content and toxicity testing of Artemia salina leach larvae using extracts from Bangkal leaves (Nauclea subdita (Korth.) Steud.) and Genjer plants (Limnocharis flava (L.) Buch). The objective of this study is twofold: firstly, to ascertain the compounds present in Bangkal leaf extract and Genjer plant extract, and secondly, to assess the toxicity levels of the extracts and fractions from Bangkal leaves and Genjer plants on Artemia salina Leach larvae. In this study, the extraction method employed was maceration with 96% ethanol as the solvent. The crude 96% ethanol extract was fractionated in stages using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol solvents based on polarity levels. The toxicity testing was conducted using the Brine Shrimp Lethality Test (BSLT) method, with Artemia salina Leach larvae serving as the bioindicator. A range of test concentrations were utilised, with each concentration having three replicates. The mortality of Artemia salina was observed after a 24-hour period and was analysed using the Reed and Muench method to determine the LC50 value. The results of the study demonstrated that the secondary metabolites present in the 96% ethanol extract of bangkal leaves com-prised the following groups of compounds: steroids, and triterpenoids, phenols, quinones, and saponins. The toxicity test results of the bangkal leaf extract and fractions yielded LC50 values of 418.79 ppm for the 96% ethanol extract; 716.14 ppm for the n-hexane fraction; 263.03 ppm for the ethyl acetate fraction; and 70,79 ppm for the extract n-buthanol fraction. Meanwhile, the toxicity test results of the genjer plant extract and fractions obtained an LC50 value of 490.23 ppm for the 96% ethanol extract; n-hexane fraction 551.31 ppm; ethyl acetate fraction 425.01 ppm; and n-butanol fraction extract 46.02 ppm. These results indicate that the n-butanol fraction of bangkal leaves and genjer plants have stronger cytotoxic activity than other fraction extracts.

Ecotoxicological profile of a high prevalence marine disease area in Florida's Gulf coast.

This study aimed to characterize and quantify essential and potentially toxic elements in commonly consumed spices in order to evaluate their nutritional value and assess possible food-safety risks related to metal contamination. Four spices: fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), black pepper (Piper nigrum), turmeric (Curcuma longa), and ginger (Zingiber officinale) were collected from a supermarket in Mehdia (Kenitra, Morocco). Samples were homogenized, sieved (&lt; 250 μm), and digested using a nitric/perchloric acid mixture (3:1, v/v) following AOAC Method 999.10. Sixteen elements were determined using high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Quality assurance was ensured through the use of blanks, duplicate analyses, and certified reference material (NIST SRM 1573a). The results revealed significant elemental variability among the spices: ginger showed the highest sodium and manganese levels, turmeric was rich in potassium and magnesium, black pepper exhibited elevated calcium, and fenugreek contained high phosphorus concentrations. Lead was detected in all samples (3.60–15.90 μg/kg), remaining below Codex Alimentarius limits. Overall, the findings demonstrate the reliability of ICP-MS for ultra-trace elemental analysis in spices and confirm their dual nutritional and toxicological relevance. Although toxic metal levels were within regulatory limits, continuous monitoring and strengthened safety controls are recommended to minimize potential health risks.