Neurotoxicity of organophosphorus insecticides Leptophos and EPN.

Phosfolan, chlorpyrifos, and stirophos when applied to white mice at sublethal doses did not induce any delayed neurotoxic effect. On the other hand, Leptophos and EPN when administered orally at sublethal or lethal levels clearly produced a delayed neurotoxic ataxia in treated mice. The five tested organophosphorus insecticides were compared for their ability to inhibit cholinesterase, neurotoxic esterases and monoamine oxidase. I50 values were estimated for each case. The results revealed that all five compounds were inhibitors of cholinesterase, but only Leptophos and EPN were shown to be potent inhibitors for both neurotoxic esterase and monoamine oxidase in the mouse brain. Additional particular properties of both Leptophos and EPN were found in their ability to cause delayed neurotoxic ataxia in chickens and sheep fed once on sublethal doses of these compounds. It is believed that the phosphonate ester configuration of EPN and Leptophos has a specific mode of toxic action which is mainly located at the central nervous system. It is also postulated that these delayed neurotoxic agents might inhibit postganglionic sympathetic neurons, thus resulting in chronic paralytic effects.     

Molecular,functional, and cellular alterations of oocytes and cumulus cells induced by heat stress and shock in animals

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Global warming is considered as the main environmental stress affecting ecosystems as well as physiological and biochemical characteristics, and...     

Construction,renovation, and demolition waste in landfill: a review of waste characteristics,environmental impacts,and mitigation measures

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - With the increase in global population, industrialization, and urbanization, waste from construction, renovation, and demolition (CRD) activities has...     

Developing the first halophytic turfgrasses for the urban landscape from native Arabian desert grass

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Climate change is occurring and is influencing biological systems through augmented temperatures, more inconstant precipitation, and rising CO2 in the...     

Development of an empirical model to estimate real-world fine particulate matter emission factors: the traffic air quality model

The purpose of the study was to quantify the impact of traffic conditions, such as free flow and congestion, on local air quality. The Borman Expressway (I-80/94) in Northwest Indiana is considered a test bed for this research because of the high volume of class 9 truck traffic traveling on it, as well as the existing and continuing installation of the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) to improve traffic management along the highway stretch. An empirical traffic air quality (TAQ) model was developed to estimate the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emission factors (grams per kilometer) based solely on the measured traffic parameters, namely, average speed, average acceleration, and class 9 truck density. The TAQ model has shown better predictions that matched the measured emission factor values more than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-PART5 model. During congestion (defined as flow-speeds < 50 km/hr [30 mi/hr]), the TAQ model, on average, overpredicted the measured values only by a factor of 1.2, in comparison to a fourfold underprediction using the EPA-PART5 model. On the other hand, during free flow (defined as flow-speeds > 80 km/hr [50 mi/hr]), the TAQ model was conservative in that it overpredicted the measured values by 1.5-fold.     

A test of stress theory: relief workers in refugee camps

The purpose of this paper is to apply a stress model drawn from the literature to the relief and social service workers who have been active in refugee camps for a prolonged period of time. Working in difficult environments, social service workers deliver essential services to refugee populations around the world. A model of four work-stress determinants--tasks, management, appreciation and collaboration--was tested on 274 social workers in five regions of the Middle East (Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as the occupied Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank). Statistical fit indices were adequate but two relationships were statistically insignificant. The collaboration variable was dropped to create a modified model with tasks indirectly and management and appreciation directly affecting work-related stress. The five direct relationships and two indirect relationships of this modified model are consistent with stress theory, and all relationships--direct and indirect--are statistically significant.     

Ciprofloxacin adsorption from aqueous solution onto chemically prepared carbon from date palm leaflets

A chemically prepared carbon was synthesized from date palm leaflets via sulphuric acid carbonization at 160℃. Adsorption of ciprofloxacin (CIP) from aqueous solution was investigated in terms of time, pH, concentration, temperature and adsorbent status (wet and dry). The equilibrium time was found to be 48 hr. The adsorption rate was enhanced by raising the temperature for both adsorbents, with adsorption data fitting a pseudo second-order model well. The activation energy, E_a, was found to be 17 kJ/mol, indicating a diffusion-controlled, physical adsorption process. The maximum adsorption was found at initial pH 6. The wet adsorbent showed faster removal with higher uptake than the dry adsorbent, with increased performance as temperature increased (25-45℃). The equilibrium data were found to fit the Langmuir model better than the Freundlich model. The thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic. The adsorption mechanism is mainly related to cation exchange and hydrogen bonding.     

Spongy Ni/Fe carbonate-fluorapatite catalyst for efficient conversion of cooking oil waste into biodiesel

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Biodiesel produced from animal and plant fat oils is sustainable, but there is a need for efficient heterogeneous catalysts for transesterification of crude oils...     

Predictors of poor outcomes among patients of acute methanol intoxication with particular reference to Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Methanol intoxication is a global problem with serious morbidities and mortalities. Apart from the lifelong disabilities experienced by methanol...