Remediation of pharmaceuticals from contaminated water by molecularly imprinted polymers: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The release of pharmaceuticals into the environment induces adverse effects on the metabolism of humans and other living species, calling for advanced remediation...     

Association between long-term occupational noise exposure and obesity

Noise exposure has been linked to several health outcomes including obesity. This cross-sectional study examined the association between occupational noise exposure and body mass index as a measure of general obesity in 913 textile workers (totally from nine factories) in Yazd city, Iran, from winter to summer of 2018. The sound pressure level (dBA) at each working station was measured by a calibrated sound level meter. The long-term noise exposure score of each worker (as dBA.year) was calculated by multiplying the working history in each unit to its corresponding noise level. Models were adjusted for personal, behavioral, environmental, and family history factors. In total, 81.05% (n?=?740) of the participants were exposed to noise levels higher than 85 dBA. The direct association was found for the fully adjusted model (β?=?0.002; 95% CI: 0.001: 0.004). For the model with past year noise exposure, a 10.6% increase in odds was observed for each 5 dBA increase in noise exposure (95% CI: 1.005: 1.216). We found a 0.1% increase in the odds of being overweight in mixed-gender analysis (95% CI: 1.001:1.002) for each 5 dBA.year in the fully adjusted model. Occupational noise exposure should be regarded as a risk factor for cardiometabolic outcomes in industrial workers.

     

Selection of both habitat and genes in specialized and endangered caribou

Genetic mechanisms determining habitat selection and specialization of individuals within species have been hypothesized, but not tested at the appropriate individual level in nature. In this work, we analyzed habitat selection for 139 GPS-collared caribou belonging to 3 declining ecotypes sampled throughout Northwestern Canada. We used Resource Selection Functions comparing resources at used and available locations. We found that the 3 caribou ecotypes differed in their use of habitat suggesting specialization. On expected grounds, we also found differences in habitat selection between summer and winter, but also, originally, among the individuals within an ecotype. We next obtained Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) for the same caribou individuals, we detected those associated to habitat selection, and then identified genes linked to these SNPs. These genes had functions related in other organisms to habitat and dietary specializations, and climatic adaptations. We therefore suggest that individual variation in habitat selection was based on genotypic variation in the SNPs of individual caribou, indicating that genetic forces underlie habitat and diet selection in the species. We also suggest that the associations between habitat and genes that we detected may lead to lack of resilience in the species, thus contributing to caribou endangerment. Our work emphasizes that similar mechanisms may exist for other specialized, endangered species.     

Porous materials for the recovery of rare earth elements,platinum group metals,and other valuable metals: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The demand for valuable metals such as rare earth elements and platinum group metals is rising fast in the context of the depletion of natural resources...