Use Of Pesticides In Agriculture Research Articles

Residential proximity to agricultural pesticide use and cardiovascular disease risk factors among adult Latina women in California's Salinas Valley.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death worldwide. There is limited evidence that exposure to current-use pesticides may contribute to cardiovascular disease risk. We examined the association between residential proximity to the application of agricultural pesticides and cardiovascular risk factors among 484 adult women in the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study, a cohort based in an agricultural region of California. Outcome assessment was completed between 2010 and 2013. Using participant residential addresses and California's Pesticide Use Reporting database, we estimated agricultural pesticide use within one km of residences during the 2-year period preceding outcome assessment. We used Bayesian Hierarchical Modeling to evaluate associations between exposure to 14 agricultural pesticides and continuous measures of waist circumference, body mass index, and blood pressure. Each 10-fold increase in paraquat application around homes was associated with increased diastolic blood pressure (β=2.60 mm Hg, 95% Credible Interval (CrI): 0.27-4.89) and each 10-fold increase in glyphosate application was associated with increased pulse pressure (β=2.26 mm Hg, 95% CrI: 0.09-4.41). No meaningful associations were observed for the other pesticides examined. Our results suggest that paraquat and glyphosate pesticides may affect cardiovascular disease development in women with chronic environmental exposure.

Eicosapentaenoic acid: New insights into an oomycete-driven elicitor to enhance grapevine immunity

The widespread use of pesticides in agriculture remains a matter of major concern, prompting a critical need for alternative and sustainable practices. To address this, the use of lipid-derived molecules as elicitors to induce defence responses in grapevine plants was accessed. A Plasmopara viticola fatty acid (FA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) naturally present in oomycetes, but absent in plants, was applied by foliar spraying to the leaves of the susceptible grapevine cultivar (Vitis vinifera cv. Trincadeira), while a host lipid derived phytohormone, jasmonic acid (JA) was used as a molecule known to trigger host defence. Their potential as defence triggers was assessed by analysing the expression of a set of genes related to grapevine defence and evaluating the FA modulation upon elicitation. JA prompted grapevine immunity, altering lipid metabolism and up-regulating the expression of several defence genes. EPA also induced a myriad of responses to the levels typically observed in tolerant plants. Its application activated the transcription of defence gene's regulators, pathogen-related genes and genes involved in phytoalexins biosynthesis. Moreover, EPA application resulted in the alteration of the leaf FA profile, likely by impacting biosynthetic, unsaturation and turnover processes. Although both molecules were able to trigger grapevine defence mechanisms, EPA induced a more robust and prolonged response. This finding establishes EPA as a promising elicitor for an effectively managing grapevine downy mildew diseases.

Technogenic and ecological hazards of using chemical plant protection products (on the example of copper-containing preparations)

Problems Statement and Purpose. The widespread use of pesticides in agriculture has led to significant environmental pollution and health risks, and it is important to consider the negative effects and explore potential solutions to reduce pesticide pollution and its impact on human health and ecosystems. The purpose of the research is to determine the technogenic and environmental hazards of the use of chemical plant protection products (on the example of copper-containing preparations). Materials and methods of research. To study the scale of use and storage of plant protection products in Ukraine and to identify their anthropogenic and environmental threat, the analysis of statistical data on the volume of purchases and use of pesticides, in particular in the Kharkiv region, was used, Experimental studies and chemical analysis of some types of agricultural products after pesticide treatment were carried out using atomic absorption. Results. The paper reveals the essence of the technogenic and environmental hazard of plant protection products for humans and the environment, analyses the scale of use and storage of plant protection products in Ukraine, in particular in the Kharkiv region; outlines ways to improve the technogenic and environmental safety of plant protection products; shows the hazard of using chemical plant protection products for vegetable products on the example of copper-containing preparations. The volume of accumulation and use of pesticides in Ukraine, including in warehouses in the Kharkiv region, is considered. The number of centralised warehouses has increased. There have been no banned or unusable plant protection chemicals since 2012. The research was conducted using vegetables, in particular green onions. In the green mass that came into direct contact with the preparation based on copper sulphate (CuSO4), the Cu content was found to exceed the MAC for vegetables. In the study of tomatoes and cucumbers, the content of copper in fruits was investigated. It was found that treatment with a preparation containing copper does not affect the Cu content in fruits throughout the experiment, including the day of treatment. The maximum Cu content in tomato fruits on the day of treatment does not exceed the MPC in the experimental and control samples. The increase in the concentration of Cu in the experimental samples compared to the control samples is not statistically significant, since all values were below the MAC for vegetables, which is 5.0 mg/kg. The study revealed a periodic increase in the content of this heavy metal in cucumber and tomato samples taken on the day of treatment compared to control samples. This may be due to the presence of the product on the surface of the treated crop that has not yet been washed off. Conclusions. 1) Vinnytsia, Ternopil, and Khmelnytskyi regions used the most pesticides, while Poltava, Cherkasy, and Sumy regions used less. Kharkiv region had 125 pesticide storage facilities, with 79 in good and 46 in satisfactory condition. 2) Copper-containing pesticides increase copper levels in greenhouse vegetables during growth, with significant peaks on the day of treatment. Green produce exceeded permissible copper levels by up to 6.9 times. 3) The results for early vegetable production in greenhouses can be applied to most agricultural practices in Ukraine.

Mechanistic understanding of nanoparticle interactions to achieve highly-ordered arrays through self-assembly for sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection of trace thiram

Over the last few decades, there is increasing worldwide concern over human health risks associated with extensive use of pesticides in agriculture. Developing excellent SERS substrate materials to achieve highly sensitive detection of pesticide residues in the food is very necessary owing to their serious threat to human health through food chains. Self-assembled metallic nanoparticles have been demonstrated to be excellent SERS substrate materials. Hence, alkanethiols-protected gold nanoparticles have been successfully prepared for forming larger-scale two-dimensional monolayer films. These films can be disassembled into a fluid state and re-assembled back to crystallized structure by controlling surface pressure. Further investigations reveal that their self-assembled structures are mainly dependent on the diameter of gold nanoparticles and ligand length. These results suggest that the size ratio of nanoparticle diameter/ligand length within the range of 4.45–2.35 facilitates the formation of highly ordered 2D arrays. Furthermore, these arrays present excellent Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering performances in the detection of trace thiram, which can cause environmental toxicity to the soil, water, animals and result in severe damage to human health. Therefore, the current study provides an effective way for preparing monodispersed hydrophobic gold nanoparticles and forming highly ordered 2D close-packed SERS substrate materials via self-assembly to detect pesticide residues in food. We believe that, our research provides not only advanced SERS substrate materials for excellent detection performance of thiram in food, but also novel fundamental understandings of self-assembly, manipulation of nanoparticle interactions, and controllable synthesis.

Некоторые сравнительно-правовые аспекты обеспечения безопасности использования пестицидов в сельском хозяйстве России, США, Германии и Польши

The work is devoted to the disclosure of some comparative legal aspects of ensuring the safety of the use of pesticides in agriculture in Russia, the USA, Germany and Poland. The relevance of the research topic is substantiated. It is articulated: modern agriculture, associated with the use of chemicals, mechanization, genetically modified organisms, and now digitalization, that threaten all living things, must be entrusted to a qualitatively different trained agricultural specialist. Justified: individuals and legal entities declaring to engage in agricultural production are required to first obtain the appropriate qualifications, confirmed by a diploma, at the educational sites of regional information and consulting services, or agricultural research institutes, or agricultural universities.

Effects of acute toxicity of the pesticide Chlorpyrifos and the metal Cadmium, both individually and in mixtures, on two species of native neotropical cladocerans.

The excessive use of pesticides in agriculture and the widespread use of metals in industrial activities and or technological applications has significantly increased the concentrations of these pollutants in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, making aquatic biota increasingly vulnerable and putting many species at risk of extinction. Most aquatic habitats receive pollutants from various anthropogenic actions, leading to interactions between compounds that make them even more toxic. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the compounds Chlorpyrifos (insecticide) and Cadmium (metal), both individually and in mixtures, on the cladocerans Ceriodaphnia rigaudi and Ceriodaphnia silvestrii. Acute toxicity tests were conducted for the compounds individually and in mixture, and an ecological risk assessment (ERA) was performed for both compounds. Acute toxicity tests with Cadmium resulted in EC50-48 h of 0.020 mg L-1 for C. rigaudi and 0.026 mg L-1 for C. silvestrii, while tests with Chlorpyrifos resulted in EC50-48 h of 0.047 μg L-1 and 0.062 μg L-1, respectively. The mixture test for C. rigaudi showed the occurrence of additive effects, while for C. silvestrii, antagonistic effects occurred depending on the dose level. The species sensitivity distribution curve for crustaceans, rotifers, amphibians, and fishes resulted in an HC5 of 3.13 and an HC50 of 124.7 mg L-1 for Cadmium; an HC5 of 9.96 and an HC50 of 5.71 μg L-1 for Chlorpyrifos. Regarding the ERA values, Cadmium represented a high risk, while Chlorpyrifos represented an insignificant to a high risk.

Knowledge and perception of cereal farmers and extension agents on fungicide use in northern Ghana.

Agricultural pesticide use in sub-Saharan Africa has doubled over the past three decades, with a greater relative increase for fungicides. As pesticide inputs continue to rise, so does the potential for the development of resistance. Here, we report on a survey conducted to understand pesticide resistance awareness, pesticide-use knowledge and practices of growers and agricultural extension officers (AEOs) in the cereals growing-belt of northern Ghana, with emphasis on fungicides. The results may inform development of strategies for improving pesticide literacy including resistance awareness, extension services and crop protection outcomes. The survey revealed a low level of pesticide-use knowledge for AEOs and growers. This was more so for growers with low education, predominantly women. Education level (and indirectly gender) influenced perceived effectiveness of fungicides and levels of adoption of cultural and agrochemical best practices. Only 28% of growers and 11% of AEOs practiced crop and fungicide rotations, respectively. More than half (53%) of the respondents indicated that fungicides used in northern Ghana are not effective. Given the low level of pesticide literacy of AEOs and growers, training programs on best practice for the use of pesticides, with targeted initiatives for female growers, would improve crop protection outcomes and safety. The limited adoptions of crop rotation and repeated use of fungicides with the same active ingredients, along with >50% of respondents reporting 'fungicides not working' suggest the potential presence of fungicide resistance cases in growers' fields in the Northern region of Ghana. Further work is needed to determine the incidence of resistance in the region. It is recommended that a key policy priority should focus on understanding broader agrochemical-use practices, crop losses and household-level food security in the presence of resistance risks. © 2024 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Enhancing the efficiency of polypyrrole-dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid in-tube solid-phase microextraction coating for analysis of nitrogen-containing pesticides in water environments

Background: With the growing use of nitrogen-containing pesticides in agriculture, their residues in the environment have raised significant public health concerns.Objective: This study aimed to develop a novel PPy-DBSA/IT-SPME coating to enhance the detection efficiency of polar nitrogen-containing pesticides in water matrices.Methods: The preparation conditions were optimized, including pyrrole concentration at 7.0 mol/L, DBSA concentration at 0.014 mol/L, oxidant concentration at 0.35 mol/L, and a coating cycle repeated 10 times. High-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was employed for detection.Results: The novel coating effectively adsorbed 19 different categories of polar nitrogen-containing pesticides, including sulfonylureas, triazolopyrimidines, diphenyl ether herbicides, benzoylurea insecticides, and phenylurea herbicides, with unadsorbed rates below 10%. The analytical method achieved an average recovery rate of 61.92% to 115.21%, with an RSD below 5.0%. Detection and quantification limits ranged from 0.012 to 0.524 μg/L and 0.127 to 5.243 μg/L, respectively.Conclusion: The developed method is green, efficient, simple, and cost-effective. It offers an environmentally friendly and user-friendly approach for the detection of polar nitrogen-containing pesticide residues, demonstrating good recovery and precision. This method holds potential for wide application in environmental monitoring and food safety.

Assessing the market opportunities for pesticide-free vegetables in Bangladesh: consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay

The excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture poses threats to ecosystems and human health. To mitigate these risks, researchers have turned their attention to pesticide-free production methods. This study aimed to assess the market opportunities for pesticide-free vegetables (PFVs) through determining consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP), along with identifying factors influencing consumers' WTP decision in three major cities of the country, namely Dhaka, Khulna, and Mymensingh. Employing a multistage cluster sampling method, 150 samples were selected and data collection utilized the android-based app Kobo through direct interviews. The contingent valuation method (CVM) and double-bounded dichotomous choice model (DBDC) were used to estimate WTP and preferences while ordered logit model were employed to identify influencing factors. The findings indicated that over 90% of consumers in Mymensingh and over 92% in Dhaka and Khulna were willing to pay a premium for pesticide-free tomatoes and brinjal. Additionally, more than 18% and 19% of consumers expressed willingness to pay a 20% premium for brinjal and tomato, while over 39% were willing to pay for both a 10% premium. The study revealed that factors such as age, sex, education, household size, and income significantly influenced consumers’ WTP decisions, with age showing a negative correlation, while education and income were positively associated with interest in consuming pesticide-free vegetables. Overall, the study underscores the increasing demand for pesticide-free vegetables in urban areas, emphasizing the need for governments and stakeholders to develop supportive policies for sustainable market development. Res. Agric. Livest. Fish. Vol. 11, No. 1, April 2024: 69-77

PESTI GUARD: FARMER-FRIENDLY PESTICIDE ROBOT

Agriculture is the primary source of revenue for India's population, which accounts for nearly 60% of the country's total. Farmers work in their fields to cultivate various crops based on the environment and resources available. Farmers must use large quantities of pesticides to increase food production in order to meet such high food demand for such a large population. Traditional manual pesticide spraying operations is full of direct exposure to the pesticide liquid work environment, great harm to human body and when this pesticide may come into contact with the farmer during spraying, which may trigger skin cancer and asthma illnesses. Increased pesticide spraying can impact consumer health as it enters the food chain. The widespread use of pesticides in agriculture presents significant health risks to both farmers and consumers. The pesticide spraying robot is equipped with state-of-the-art sensors to record real-time temperature and humidity levels, providing crucial environmental data for optimized pesticide application. Farmers can remotely control the robot using a user-friendly interface, instructing it to perform specific spraying tasks while maintaining a safe distance from potentially hazardous chemicals. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a Pesticide Spraying Robot designed to minimize human contact during operation while prioritizing human health through advanced environmental monitoring and remote-control capabilities.

Transformation of Agriculture in Damoh District of Madhya Pradesh

India has been considered as a land of villages and from very beginning agriculture has been main means of livelihood of the residents of the country specially people living in rural areas. Agriculture plays a vital role in the nation's economy. About two third of the working population earn their living through agriculture and agriculture sector contributes about 26 per cent in the gross domestic production of the country. The present study examines the transformation of the various dimension of the agriculture in the Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh based on secondary data. With the growing pressure of population, demand for land for non-agricultural activities, implementations of rural development programmes and activities, the land use pattern, cropping pattern, irrigational facilities, farming techniques and other allied activities in the study area has transformed during the period 1990 to 2020. Damoh district is located in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and is part of Sagar division. Total geographical area of the district is 7306 sq.km. out of which 323386 hectares land is available for cultivation with 293599 hectares of irrigated land. The proportion of forest and fallow land has decreased in last two decades while the proportion of net shown area, other uncultivated land, land not available for agriculture and double cropped area has increased during the period. The cropping pattern of the study region, also transformed. The use of modern agricultural implements, fertilizers and pesticides too has increased during 1990-2020.

Lead-cadmium accumulation in agricultural soils and health implications

The use of pesticides in farms has made agricultural soils often contaminated with heavy metals, excess of which the soils could pollute the environment and potentially damage human health through accumulation in the food chain. The geochemical compositions in agricultural soils from two commercial farms were analysed using ICP-MS. Trace elements are needed in minute quantities in soils but can be toxic to plants and humans with health implications at elevated rates. Soil samples from the study area were analysed and the result revealed that lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) concentrations in the study sites were within the FAO/WHO standard limits. The implications of elevated rates on crops and humans alike are highlighted in this paper.

Assessing the environmental pesticides impact of river sediments from a basin in western Mexico: Spatiotemporal distribution, risk assessment of aquatic invertebrates and pesticides prioritization

The intensive use of pesticides in Mexican agriculture has contributed significantly to the increase in food production, but at the same time represents potential risk to biota. This situation creates a dilemma between the need to increase food production and the preservation of the environment and human health. Aquatic invertebrates play a vital role in the balance of aquatic ecosystems but are sensitive to pesticides contamination. The sensitivity of aquatic invertebrates to pesticides contamination has led them to be used to assess the potential impact of this contamination on aquatic ecosystems. In the present study, conducted in the Ayuquila-Armería basin, the following aims were achieved: 1) quantifying the presence of 20 pesticides in river sediments, 2) assessing the spatiotemporal distribution of pesticides in river sediments, 3) determining the potential risk to aquatic invertebrates, and 4) prioritizing pesticides based on their potential risk. Twelve pesticides were consistently quantified in 192 river sediments samples. The pesticides with the highest concentrations were ametrine, malathion and picloram. The temporal analysis showed seasonality in pesticide concentrations, with higher detection frequencies during the wet season. The risk assessment showed that aquatic invertebrates may be affected by the concentrations of carbofuran, malathion, diazinon and ametrine. Pesticides prioritization identified ametrine, carbofuran, and diazinon as major concerns based on the methodology that considers the Frequency and Extent of Exceedance. This study provides valuable insights into the current pesticides scenario in the Ayuquila-Armería River sediments. The findings underscore the need for sustainable alternatives to mitigate the ecological risks associated with pesticides contamination in this aquatic ecosystem.

Reflexivity and certified crop advisors’ knowledge paradigms as related to pesticide resistance management

A major unintended risk of modern US agricultural use of pesticides has been pesticide resistance—a situation in which overuse of simplified pesticide-reliant pest management practices results in the loss of pesticide efficacy and results in yield declines, labor and time costs, environmental hazards, and other negative consequences. It has been posited that addressing pesticide resistance will necessitate a transformation in how agriculture is done, including major structural diversification of management practices and the involvement of a broad community of diverse stakeholders co-producing knowledge. Crop advisors—those agronomists providing paid-for agronomic advice to farmers independently or as part of a larger corporation—are one group has a high potential impact on what pesticide resistance management strategies and farmers' information networks. However, there is minimal research on how crop advisors approach the topic of pesticide resistance with their customers, including the reductionist or reflexive approaches they may draw on in their information provisioning. We explore this topic through a series of regional focus groups intended to uncover crop advisors’ perspectives on structural barriers to resistance management and use of reflexivity in their application of reductionist or iterative knowledge provisioning paradigms. We find that crop advisors recognize complex structural barriers to effective pesticide resistance management; while modern reductionist approaches were evident in attempts to overcome these barriers, crop advisors also engaged in reflexivity and drew on iterative forms of knowledge provisioning, particularly when unaffiliated with an agrichemical company and when working with fewer customers and higher value specialty crops. Additionally, those crop advisors applying a reductionist advising approach did not necessarily adhere to a modernist ideology; rather, we found that most crop advisors were reflexively critical of this approach and preferred a more iterative format but were constrained from taking action on this preference due to structures based in the capitalist industrialized US agricultural system. We propose that reflexivity is present but insufficient to alter patterns of pesticide resistance information and management without significant structural alterations.

Engineering multi-degrading bacterial communities to bioremediate soils contaminated with pesticides residues

Parallel to the important use of pesticides in conventional agriculture there is a growing interest for green technologies to clear contaminated soil from pesticides and their degradation products. Bioaugmentation i. e. the inoculation of degrading micro-organisms in polluted soil, is a promising method still in needs of further developments. Specifically, improvements in the understanding of how degrading microorganisms must overcome abiotic filters and interact with the autochthonous microbial communities are needed in order to efficiently design bioremediation strategies. Here we designed a protocol aiming at studying the degradation of two herbicides, glyphosate (GLY) and isoproturon (IPU), via experimental modifications of two source bacterial communities. We used statistical methods stemming from genomic prediction to link community composition to herbicides degradation potentials. Our approach proved to be efficient with correlation estimates over 0.8 - between model predictions and measured pesticide degradation values. Multi-degrading bacterial communities were obtained by coalescing bacterial communities with high GLY or IPU degradation ability based on their community-level properties. Finally, we evaluated the efficiency of constructed multi-degrading communities to remove pesticide contamination in a different soil. While results are less clear in the case of GLY, we showed an efficient transfer of degrading capacities towards the receiving soil even at relatively low inoculation levels in the case of IPU. Altogether, we developed an innovative protocol for building multi-degrading simplified bacterial communities with the help of genomic prediction tools and coalescence, and proved their efficiency in a contaminated soil.

Exploring the effects of the acaricide cyflumetofen on the vital organs of the honey bee Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) workers

Bees are important for maintaining ecosystems, pollinating crops and producing marketable products. In recent years, a decline in bee populations has been reported, with multifactorial causes, including the intensification of pesticide use in agriculture. Among pesticides, cyflumetofen is an insecticide and acaricide used in apple, coffee and citrus crops, whose main pollinator is the honey bee Apis mellifera. Therefore, this bee is a potential target of cyflumetofen during foraging. This study evaluated the histopathological and cytological damage in the midgut, hypopharyngeal glands and fat body of A. mellifera workers exposed to LC50 of cyflumetofen. The midgut epithelium of exposed bees presented cytoplasmic vacuolization, release of vesicles and cell fragments, which indicate autophagy, increased production of digestive enzymes and cell death, respectively. The cytological analysis of the midgut revealed the dilation of the basal labyrinth and the presence of spherocrystals in the digestive cells. The hypopharyngeal glands produced greater amounts of secretion in treated bees, whereas no changes were observed in the fat body. The results indicate that acute exposure to cyflumetofen negatively affect A. mellifera, causing damage to the midgut and changes in the hypopharyngeal glands, which may compromise the survival and foraging of this pollinator.

Epigenetic processes involved in response to pesticide exposure in human populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

In recent decades, the use of pesticides in agriculture has increased dramatically. This has resulted in these substances being widely dispersed in the environment, contaminating both exposed workers and communities living near agricultural areas and via contaminated foodstuffs. In addition to acute poisoning, chronic exposure to pesticides can lead to molecular changes that are becoming better understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess, through a systematic review of the literature, what epigenetic alterations are associated with pesticide exposure. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis including case-control, cohort and cross-sectional observational epidemiological studies to verify the epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, histone modification and differential microRNA expression, in humans who had been exposed to any type of pesticide. Articles published between the years 2005 and 2020 were collected. Two different reviewers performed a blind selection of the studies using the Rayyan QCRI software. Post-completion, the data of selected articles were extracted and analyzed. Most of the 28 articles included evaluated global DNA methylation levels, and the most commonly reported epigenetic modification in response to pesticide exposure was global DNA hypomethylation. Meta-analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between Alu methylation levels and β-hexachlorocyclohexane, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane and p,p'-dichlorodiphenylethylene levels. In addition, some specific genes were reported to be hypermethylated in promoter regions, such as CDKN2AIGF2, WRAP53α and CDH1, while CDKN2B and H19 were hypomethylated due to pesticide exposure. The expression of microRNAs was also altered in response to pesticides, as miR-223, miR-518d-3p, miR-597, miR-517b and miR-133b that are associated with many human diseases. Therefore, this study provides evidence that pesticide exposure could lead to epigenetic modifications, possibly altering global and gene-specific methylation levels, epigenome-wide methylation and microRNA differential expression.

Ambient long-term exposure to organophosphorus pesticides and the human gut microbiome: an observational study

BackgroundOrganophosphorus pesticides (OP) have been associated with various human health conditions. Animal experiments and in-vitro models suggested that OP may also affect the gut microbiota. We examined associations between ambient chronic exposure to OP and gut microbial changes in humans.MethodsWe recruited 190 participants from a community-based epidemiologic study of Parkinson’s disease living in a region known for heavy agricultural pesticide use in California. Of these, 61% of participants had Parkinson’s disease and their mean age was 72 years. Microbiome and predicted metagenome data were generated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples. Ambient long-term OP exposures were assessed using pesticide application records combined with residential addresses in a geographic information system. We examined gut microbiome differences due to OP exposures, specifically differences in microbial diversity based on the Shannon index and Bray–Curtis dissimilarities, and differential taxa abundance and predicted Metacyc pathway expression relying on regression models and adjusting for potential confounders.ResultsOP exposure was not associated with alpha or beta diversity of the gut microbiome. However, the predicted metagenome was sparser and less evenly expressed among those highly exposed to OP (p = 0.04). Additionally, we found that the abundance of two bacterial families, 22 genera, and the predicted expression of 34 Metacyc pathways were associated with long-term OP exposure. These pathways included perturbed processes related to cellular respiration, increased biosynthesis and degradation of compounds related to bacterial wall structure, increased biosynthesis of RNA/DNA precursors, and decreased synthesis of Vitamin B1 and B6.ConclusionIn support of previous animal studies and in-vitro findings, our results suggest that ambient chronic OP pesticide exposure alters gut microbiome composition and its predicted metabolism in humans.

Novel antifungals and treatment approaches to tackle resistance and improve outcomes of invasive fungal disease.

SUMMARYFungal infections are on the rise, driven by a growing population at risk and climate change. Currently available antifungals include only five classes, and their utility and efficacy in antifungal treatment are limited by one or more of innate or acquired resistance in some fungi, poor penetration into "sequestered" sites, and agent-specific side effect which require frequent patient reassessment and monitoring. Agents with novel mechanisms, favorable pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles including good oral bioavailability, and fungicidal mechanism(s) are urgently needed. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of novel antifungal agents, with both improved known mechanisms of actions and new antifungal classes, currently in clinical development for treating invasive yeast, mold (filamentous fungi), Pneumocystis jirovecii infections, and dimorphic fungi (endemic mycoses). We further focus on inhaled antifungals and the role of immunotherapy in tackling fungal infections, and the specific PK/pharmacodynamic profiles, tissue distributions as well as drug-drug interactions of novel antifungals. Finally, we review antifungal resistance mechanisms, the role of use of antifungal pesticides in agriculture as drivers of drug resistance, and detail detection methods for antifungal resistance.

Spatial modeling tool to assess and rank peri-urban land use in an agricultural region of the Midwestern United States

America is the continent with the largest area of genetically modified crops, the United States being the leading producer. Numerous studies show a panorama of potential exposure from agricultural pesticide use for this types of crops near to cities across a vast region of the United States. For the reasons mentioned above, we have chosen to investigate the following issues in this study: How does the implementation of an indexbased spatial modeling tool effectively rank the proximity of peri-urban crops, and what factors impact its effectiveness across diverse peri-urban agricultural landscapes? To address these questions, the research employs the Crop Proximity Index (CPI) model in various cities across the Midwest region of the United States. Six hundred and seventy cities in the state of Iowa were selected, and their peripheries were analysed using weighted perimeter rings, from 0 to 2000 m. The Crop Proximity Index was used to simulate a model of proximity to crops by considering the spatial quantification occupied by agriculture, forest cover, shrubs, pastures and buffer zones. This index varies from 0 to 1 and serves to rank the cities under study. It was estimated that a Crop Proximity Index equal to or >0.8 is a good approximation to a model with less proximity of crops and that only 62 cities (9%) meet this condition. Some 457 cities (68%) have CPIs equal to or <0.5 due to the large areas of crops and the low peripheral forest levels. The CPI is an index that makes it possible to obtain vital exploratory data in order to focus on future research that would determine how the proximity of agro-industrial crops has possible negative consequences for the environment and human health in greater detail.