Research Publications (Food Safety)

Plant-based removal of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from water bodies is an important method for remediation of aquaculture wastewater. In order to acquire knowledge as to how antibiotic residues in wastewater might affect the microbial community and plant uptake of N and P, this study investigated N and P removal by a coastal plant Sesuvium portulacastrum L.

Overconsumption of antibiotics in hospitals has led to policy implementation, including the control of antibiotic prescriptions. The impact of these policies on the evolution of antimicrobial resistance remains uncertain. In this work, we review the possible limits of such policies and focus on the need for a more efficient approach. Establishing a causal relationship between the introduction of new antibiotics and the emergence of new resistance mechanisms is difficult.

A series of oleanolic acid derivatives holding oxo- or 3-N-polyamino-3-deoxy-substituents at C3 as well as carboxamide function at C17 with different long chain polyamines have been synthesized and evaluated for antimicrobial activities. Almost all series presented good to moderate activity against Gram-positive S. aureus, S. faecalis and B. cereus bacteria with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values from 3.125 to 200 µg/mL.

Antimicrobial resistance threatens infectious disease management outcomes, especially in developing countries. In this study, the occurrence of resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (rCoNS) and antibiotic residues in urine samples of 401 healthy individuals from Korle-Gonno (KG) and Dodowa (DDW) in Ghana was investigated. MALDI-ToF/MS with gram-staining techniques detected and identified the CoNS. SPE-LC-MS/MS detected and quantified nine commonly used antibiotics in the samples.

Up to now, a total of 24 succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs) fungicides have been commercialized, and SDHIs fungicides were also one of the most active fungicides developed in recent years. Carboxamide derivatives represented an important class of SDHIs with broad spectrum of antifungal activities. In this review, the development of carboxamide derivatives as SDHIs with great significances were summarized.

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO, EC 1.3.3.4) is an important target for discovering novel herbicides, and it causes bleaching symptoms by inhibiting the synthesis of chlorophyll and heme. In this study, the active fragments of several commercial herbicides were joined by substructure splicing and bioisosterism, and a series of novel diphenyl ether derivatives containing five-membered heterocycles were synthesized.

Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab) has emerged as a challenging threat to individuals with cystic fibrosis. Infections caused by this pathogen are often impossible to treat due to the intrinsic antibiotic resistance leading to lung malfunction and eventually death. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new drugs against novel targets in Mab to overcome drug resistance and subsequent treatment failure.

This paper presents an application of silver nanoparticles impregnated by Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) as ultrasonication aided microextraction system for lead (II) determination in edible oils. The paper presents a systematic optimization of method parameters and examples of its application for analysis of real samples. Maximum recovery for lead (II) extraction was obtained for choline chloride and phenol with a 1:2 M ratio.

The long charge carrier lifetime of the hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) is the key for their remarkable performance as a solar cell material. The microscopic mechanism for the long lifetime is still in debate.

Agricultural products, such as foodstuffs and herbal medicines, may be contaminated by pesticides. Therefore, developing sensitive methods for pesticide detection are urgently needed for the assurance of food safety. In this study, a ratiometric fluorescent sensing system based on blue-emitted nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) and red-emitted copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) complex was fabricated for pesticide detection.

The aim of the study was to assess arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) contamination of freshwater fish from Poland. Selected species of raw, smoked, and pickled freshwater fish (n=212) were evaluated by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Assessment of health risk associated with intake of investigated elements present in fish was performed.

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic heavy metal in our living environment. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are ancestors for all blood cells. Therefore understanding the impact of Cd on HSC is significant for public health. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of Cd2+ on energy metabolism of HSC and its involvement in hematopoiesis.

Lead (Pb) is a widespread environmental pollutant which is a toxic threat to human and animal health. The present study was designed to evaluate the ameliorative role of quercetin in laying quails exposed to Pb. A total of 112 birds were randomly divided into four groups.

Background Women living in the Bolivian Andes are environmentally exposed to arsenic, yet there is scarce information about arsenic-related effects in this region.

Beeswax, honey, and live in-hive worker bees were collected in this study from eight districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The concentration of seven essential elements (copper, calcium, zinc, iron, nickel, chromium and manganese) and two non-essentials (lead and cadmium) were determined. All of the samples were found to have a random distribution of metal concentrations. The plentiful metals with high concentrations in the gathered samples were discovered to be calcium, iron, and zinc.

To reduce waste volumes and recover valuable products, char was synthesized via co-pyrolysis of rice straw (RS) with spent tires, sulfur wastes, and CO2. The inclusion of wastes and CO2 in pyrolysis of RS was hypothesized to enhance the sorption ability of char for various contaminants, including 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP), lead, barium, chromate (CrO42−), and selenate (SeO42−).

Occupational exposure to heavy metals like lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) is associated with the development of several diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of occupational co-exposure to Pb and Cd on the blood levels of selected immune-modulatory cytokines related to T helper (Th), that is, Th1, interleukin-2 (IL-2), Th2, (IL-4 and IL-10), and Th17, (IL-17) cells. The study comprised 207 individuals divided into two groups: exposed (n = 110) and nonexposed (n = 97).

Human exposure to cadmium (Cd) may induce severe effects in different organs. Recent studies suggest that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely involved in the pathophysiological mechanisms of Cd-related diseases.

Epidemiological evidence suggests that the metabolic profiles of each individual exposed to arsenic (As) are related to the risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, and diabetes. The arsenite methyltransferase (AS3MT) gene plays a key role in As metabolism. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms in the AS3MT gene may affect both enzyme activity and gene transcription.

With shrapnel injuries, the metal fragment is usually left in place to reduce the risk of morbidity extensive surgery might bring. This means the individual may retain those metals for the remainder of their life. Often the long-term health effects of the embedded metal are not known, especially with respect to protein damage and perturbations of muscle repair pathways.

Gut microbial community plays an important role in the regulation of insect health. Antibiotic treatment is powerful to fight bacterial infections, while it also causes collateral damage to gut microbiome, which may have long-lasting consequences for host health.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like PCBs (DL-PCBs) were examined in chicken egg and soil samples collected from Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam. PCDD/F and DL-PCB levels in egg samples ranged from 5.74 to 1320 (median 350) and from 120 to 51,200 (median 1470) pg/g lipid weight (lw), respectively. Toxic equivalents to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TEQ) in egg samples ranged from 0.817 to 245 (median 10.8) pg TEQ/g lw.

The role of iron plaque in Miscanthus sacchariflorus seedling growth and cadmium ion (Cd2+) uptake, translocation, and tolerance was explored. The seedlings were cultivated for 10 d in half-strength Hoagland’s nutrient solution containing 0 mg L−1, 1.0 mg L−1, 5.0 mg L−1, 10.0 mg L−1, and 20.0 mg L−1 Cd2+ after iron plaque formation induced by 30 mg L−1 ferrous ion (Fe2+).

The gastropod Rapana venosa is an edible mollusk suitable for biomonitoring of sea shelf contamination. In this work, the contents of five elements (Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb) in foot and in the rest of soft tissues of this mollusk were quantified, and the element contents in the edible foot were found below the maximum permissible levels set in several national and transnational regulations.

In order to explore the utilization of Eucalyptus sawdust (C) and develop its remediation potential in cadmium and arsenic contaminated soil, Eucalyptus sawdust were modified by FeCl3 and NaOH coprecipitation (MC). Characterization technology and pot experiment were used to explore the adsorption mechanism of cadmium and arsenic by MC and the effect of soil remediation.