Histological and immunohistochemical evaluation of the effect of tartrazine on the cerebellum,submandibular glands,and kidneys of adult male albino rats

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Tartrazine is one of the most widely used food additives. The present investigation was carried out on 40 adult male albino rats. They were divided...     

Influence of alum on cyanobacterial blooms and water quality of earthen fish ponds

Eruption of blue-green algal blooms occurs frequently in eutrophic lakes and fish ponds, with associated unpleasant odor and horrid scums. In the present study, we conducted a pre-test experiment in 3 m³ outdoor concrete ponds to determine the optimum concentration of aluminum sulfate (alum) required for reduction of the cyanobacterial blooms without negative effect on fish growth. As a consequence, 10 mg L^?1 alum was named as the optimum concentration that was applied in 1000 m³ earthen fish ponds. Obtained results showed that Secchi disc values significantly increased from 10 to 24 cm after 14 days of alum application. Alum-treated ponds showed a reduction in total phytoplankton counts by 94 and 96 % compared to the corresponding controls after 10 and 14 days, respectively. Abundance of blue-green algae in the treated ponds was decreased by 98 % compared to the corresponding control after 14 days of alum application. Consequently, dissolved oxygen, pH, total phosphorus, orthophosphate, and chlorophyll “a” content declined significantly. Our study revealed that using 10 mg L^?1 of alum is an effective way to control cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophic waters, especially in fish ponds, without negative effect in water quality.     

Direct spectral analysis and determination of high content of carcinogenic bromine in bread using UV pulsed laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied for the detection of carcinogenic elements like bromine in four representative brands of loaf bread samples and the measured bromine concentrations were 352, 157, 451, and 311 ppm, using Br I (827.2 nm) atomic transition line as the finger print atomic transition. Our LIBS system is equipped with a pulsed laser of wavelength 266 nm with energy 25 mJ pulse^?1, 8 ns pulse duration, 20 Hz repetition rate, and a gated ICCD camera. The LIBS system was calibrated with the standards of known concentrations in the sample (bread) matrix and such plot is linear in 20–500 ppm range. The capability of our system in terms of limit of detection and relative accuracy with respect to the standard inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) technique was evaluated and these values were 5.09 ppm and 0.01–0.05, respectively, which ensures the applicability of our system for Br trace level detection, and LIBS results are in excellent agreement with that of ICPMS results.     

Beneficial role of ascorbic and folic acids antioxidants against thyroxin-induced testicular dysfunction in hyperthyroid rats

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Thyroid hormones play a fundamental role in the regulation of metabolism of almost all mammalian tissue including the reproductive system....     

Comparison of understorey bird species in relation to edge–interior gradient in an isolated tropical rainforest of Malaysia

Forest fragmentation results in a loss of forest interior and an increase in edge habitat. As a result, these changes may affect the bird species distribution and composition. We studied how understorey bird community composition and habitat variables changed along an edge-to-interior gradient in a fragmented lowland rainforest in Peninsular Malaysia. Birds and environmental variables were recorded at each of the 93 sampling points distributed along the 14 parallel transects that were systematically placed across the gradient of distance from the forest edge to the forest interior. Species composition was different along the edge–interior gradient, although only a few species were strictly confined to either edge or interior habitat. Based on bird–habitat associations along the edge–interior gradient, some of these edge-preferred species occurred in high numbers at the matrix surrounding the patch. In contrast, the interior-specialist group, mainly terrestrial insectivores, avoided the forest edge and was positively associated with humidity, canopy cover, the number of dead trees, percentage of litter cover, and depth of the litter layer. Species endemic to the Sunda subregion were more abundant in the interior of the forest. From a conservation perspective, forest remnants in the lowlands of Peninsular Malaysia that have a deep leaf litter layer, dense canopy cover, high number of dead trees, and high relative humidity are able to support understorey bird species that are sensitive to edge effects. The forest has important conservation value even though it is fragmented and isolated.     

Evaluation of the anthropogenic influx of metal and metalloid contaminants into the Moulay Bousselham lagoon, Morocco, using chemometric methods coupled to geographical information systems

Superficial and cored sediment samples from the Moulay Bousselham lagoon and sub-watershed were analyzed for Al, Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Mn, Ni, Cr, As, Hg, and Cd. The temporal and spatial distributions of the main contamination sources of heavy metals were identified and described using chemometric and geographic information system (GIS) methods. Sediments from coastal lagoons near urban and agricultural areas are commonly contaminated with heavy metals, and the concentrations found in surface sediments are significantly higher than those from 50–100 years ago. The concentrations of these elements decrease sharply with depth in the sediment column, and the elements are preferentially enriched in the <2-μm-sized fraction of the sediment. The zones of enhanced risk of heavy metals were detected by means of GIS-based geostatistical modeling. According to sediment pollution indices and statistical analysis, heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cr, and Hg) that pose a risk have become largely enriched in the lagoon sediments during the recent period of agricultural intensification.     

Biochemical effects in crabs (Carcinus maenas) and contamination levels in the Bizerta Lagoon: an integrated approach in biomonitoring of marine complex pollution

The biochemical effects in Carcinus maenas and contamination levels in seawater and sediments of Bizerta Lagoon (northeast of Tunisia) were investigated. The levels of metals and hydrocarbons were higher in seawater and sediments in Menzel Bourguiba and Cimentery in February and July than in the other sampling sites. Differences among sites for glutathione S-transferase, catalase, acetylcholinesterase activities, and the content of lipid peroxidation and metallothioneins in two important organs which accumulated contaminants (the gills and the digestive gland) of the C. maenas were found and possibly related to differences in metal and hydrocarbon levels. The seasonal variation of biomarkers was possibly associated with chemical contamination and also with the high fluctuation of physico-chemical characteristics of the sites. The integrated biomarker response values found in the five sites is in good agreement with hydrocarbon and trace metal concentrations detected in the water and sediments of the stressful places where crabs are living.     

Production of sugarcane bagasse-based activated carbon for formaldehyde gas removal from potted plants exposure chamber

Agricultural wastes such as rice straw, sugar beet, and sugarcane bagasse have become a critical environmental issue due to growing agriculture demand. This study aimed to investigate the valorization possibility of sugarcane bagasse waste for activated carbon preparation. It also aimed to fully characterize the prepared activated carbon (BET surface area) via scanning electron microscope (SEM) and in terms of surface functional groups to give a basic understanding of its structure and to study the adsorption capacity of the sugarcane bagasse-based activated carbon using aqueous methylene blue (MB). The second main objective was to evaluate the performance of sugarcane bagasse-based activated carbon for indoor volatile organic compounds removal using the formaldehyde gas (HCHO) as reference model in two potted plants chambers. The first chamber was labeled the polluted chamber (containing formaldehyde gas without activated carbon) and the second was taken as the treated chamber (containing formaldehyde gas with activated carbon). The results indicated that the sugarcane bagasse-based activated carbon has a moderate BET surface area (557 m²/g) with total mesoporous volume and microporous volume of 0.310 and 0.273 cm³/g, respectively. The prepared activated carbon had remarkable adsorption capacity for MB. Formaldehyde removal rate was then found to be more than 67% in the treated chamber with the sugarcane bagasse-based activated carbon. The plants’ responses for this application as dry weight, chlorophyll contents, and protein concentration were also investigated.

Implications: Preparation of activated carbon from sugarcane bagasse (SCBAC) is a promising approach to produce cheap and efficient adsorbent for gas pollutants removal. It may be also a solution for the agricultural wastes problems in big cities, particularly in Egypt. MB adsorption tests suggest that the SCBAC have high adsorption capacity. Formaldehyde gas removal in the plant chambers indicates that the SCBAC have potential to recover volatile gases. The results confirmed that the activated carbon produced from sugarcane bagasse waste raw materials can be used as an applicable adsorbent for treating a variety of gas pollutants from the indoor environment.