Research Publications (Food Safety)

Abstract

Chlorinated contaminants are a cause of significant concern in the development of municipal solid waste (MSW) thermal treatment techniques. This study investigates the efficacy of two calcium (Ca)-based in-furnace additives, calcium oxide (CaO), and calcined dolomite (CD), at reducing the levels of chlorinated contaminants during MSW thermal treatment.

Author(s): Zhixia Li, Xuesu Su, Chao Dong, Jie Zhou, Wenjin An, Chengqiu Wang, Bining Jiao

The development of antiviral agents with an original structure and noticeable effect is always in great need. Natural products are important lead compounds in the development of new pesticides. Crocin-1 and crocin-2 were effectively isolated from Gardeniae fructus and found to have higher anti-tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) activity levels than ribavirin.

Acrylamide (AA) is widely present in heat-processed carbohydrate-rich food, cigarette smoke, and the environment. Prolonged exposure to AA may cause central nervous system damage. However, few epidemiologic studies assessed the association between hemoglobin adduct levels of AA or its metabolite glycidamide (GA) and depressive symptoms. We included 3595 US adults (≥18 years) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013–2016.

Exposure of newborns to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is a public health concern. The objective of this study was to assess the occurrence of POPs in the human milk collected from lactating mothers in Lebanon and investigate the socio-demographic, nutritional, and other lifestyle determinants. Fifty-four breast milk samples were collected as per WHO guidelines. A survey was used to assess the anthropometric and demographic characteristics of participants.

Hookworm is one type of soil-transmitted helminth, which could exert an anti-inflammatory effect in human or animal host, which provides a beneficial possibility for the discovery of inflammatory-related disease interventions. The identification of hookworm-derived anti-inflammatory molecules is urgently needed for future translational research. The emergence of metabolomics has become a powerful approach to comprehensively characterize metabolic alterations in recent times.

Abstract

Rice is a major staple food in China where farmland soil has widespread cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) contamination. To provide appropriate rice cultivars to guide rice production in Cd and As co-contaminated paddy soils, the factors affecting Cd and As concentrations in rice require clarification. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate Cd and As translocation and accumulation in different tissues of rice cultivars for understanding the Cd and As variations in rice.

There is an increasing interest in consuming healthy foods motivated by the need of boosting the immune system naturally. In this sense, vegetables rich in bioactive compounds are a clear example of “superfoods” that promotes overall health and strengthen the immune response.

Author(s): Aijing Bi, Zhen Guo, Guocui Yang, Youfang Huang, Zhimin Yin, Lan Luo

The mixed application of pesticides and foliar fertilizer has been widely used in the production of cucumber, however, their effects on plant growth and pesticide dissipation are still unclear. In this study, the effects of mixed application of pymetrozine, tebuconazole and foliar fertilizer on the cucumber plant growth and pesticide dissipation were investigated simultaneously.

Modern industry advances through time with the change in living conditions as more chemicals are used and released into the environment. This causes severe pollution problems, especially of heavy metals including lead (Pb(II)). Pb(II) is continuously released by different industries into the environment, and it leads to certain diseases such as anemia and kidney malfunction.

Author(s): Tareq M. Osaili, Maryam.S. Al Sallagi, Dinesh.K. Dhanasekaran, Wael.A.M. Bani Odeh, Hajer.J. Al Ali, Ahmed.A.S.A. Al Ali, Hadia Radwan, Reyad.S. Obaid, Richard Holley

Author(s): Lijun Zhou, Siyuan Luo, Xiaoju Wang, Yiling Zhou, Yuan Zhang, Shuai Zhu, Tao Chen, Shiling Feng, Ming Yuan, Chunbang Ding

Author(s): Sylwia Onacik-Gür, Anna Szafrańska, Marek Roszko, Sylwia Stępniewska

Author(s): Yan Li, Xiaoping Wang, Ping Gong

Author(s): Maike Gährs, Dieter Schrenk

Author(s): Melanie Hemgesberg, Simone Stegmüller, Alexander Cartus, Dieter Schrenk

Author(s): Ji Hae Jun, Ju Eun Oh, Jae-Kwang Shim, Young-Lan Kwak, Jin Sun Cho

Both soil heavy metals and the influencing factors are related to spatial location and are spatially heterogeneous. However, the global linear regression model assumes the regression coefficients to be spatially stationary throughout the study region and is unable to account for the spatially varying relationships between soil heavy metals and influencing factors.

The cytolethal distending toxin (CDT), Haemophilus ducreyi, is one of the bacterial toxins that have recently been considered for targeted therapies, especially in cancer therapies. CDT is an A-B2 exotoxin. Its catalytic subunit (CdtB) is capable of inducing DNA double strand breaks, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in host eukaryotic cells. The sequence alignment indicates that the CdtB is structurally homologyr to phosphatases and deoxyribonucleases I (DNase I).

Arsenic (As) bioavailability in the rice rhizosphere is influenced by many microbial interactions, particularly by metal-transforming functional groups at the root-soil interface. This study was conducted to examine As-transforming microbes and As-speciation in the rice rhizosphere compartments, in response to two different water management practices (continuous and intermittently flooded), established on fields with high to low soil-As concentration.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder characterized by the loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. Mounting evidence suggests that Nrf2 is a promising target for neuroprotective interventions in PD. However, electrophilic chemical properties of the canonical Nrf2-based drugs cause irreversible alkylation of cysteine residues on cellular proteins resulting...

To increase food production, prevalent agricultural malpractices such as intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides have led to degradation of the ecosystem. In this situation, there is a need to encourage eco-friendly and sustainable methods for improving crop production under ever increasing abiotic stress conditions. One such method can be through use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF or AM fungi). Soil microorganisms such as AMF serve as a link between plants and the soil resources.