Aging-independent and size-dependent genotoxic response induced by titanium dioxide nanoparticles in mammalian cells

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles(TiO_2 NPs) are subjected to various transformation processes(chemical, physical and biological processes) in the environment, potentially affecting their bioavailability and toxic properties. However, the size variation of TiO_2 NPs during aging process and subsequent effects in mammalian cells are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to illustrate the adverse effects of TiO_2 NPs in different sizes(5, 15 and 100 nm) during aging process on human-hamster hybrid(A_L) cells. There was an aging-time dependent enhancement of average hydrodynamic size in TiO_2 NPs stock suspensions. The cytotoxicity of fresh TiO_2 NPs increased in a size-dependent manner; in contrast, their genotoxicity decreased with the increasing sizes of NPs. No significant toxicity difference was observed in cells exposed to either fresh or 60 day-aged TiO_2 NPs. Both Fresh and aged TiO_2 NPs efficiently induced mitochondrial dysfunction and activated Caspase-3/7 in a size-dependent manner.Using mitochondrial-DNA deficient(ρ~0) ALcells, we further discovered that mitochondrial dysfunction made significant contribution to the size-dependent toxicity induced by TiO_2 NPs during the aging process. Taken together, our data indicated that TiO_2 NPs could significantly induced the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in an aging time-independent and size-dependent manner, which were triggered by mitochondrial dysfunction. Our study suggested the necessity to include size as an additional parameter for the cautious monitoring of TiO_2 NPs disposal before entering the environment.     

蓟运河水中甲基汞形态分布研究

以受汞污染的蓟运河水为对象,用化学平衡模拟方法研究了甲基汞不同形态的分布规律,运用IECWDI计算水体系化学平衡程序,收集蓟运河水九种金属离子、十种配体数据,考虑了72种络合物物种,25种可能生成的固体和两个氧化还原体系,计算中需用的甲基汞与黄腐酸络合物常数,建立了溶剂萃取法进行测定。最后计算了盐度、pH、pE等对形态分布的影响。     

An overview of emissions of SO2 and NOx and the long-range transport of oxidized sulfur and nitrogen pollutants in East Asia

The long-range transport of oxidized sulfur(sulfur dioxide(SO_2) and sulfate) and oxidized nitrogen(nitrogen oxides(NO_x ) and nitrate) in East Asia is an area of increasing scientific interest and political concern. This paper reviews various published papers, including ground- and satellite-based observations and numerical simulations. The aim is to assess the status of the anthropogenic emissions of SO_2 and NO_x and the long-range transport of oxidized S and N pollutants over source and downwind region. China has dominated the emissions of SO_2 and NO_x in East Asia and urgently needs to strengthen the control of their emissions, especially NO_x emissions. Oxidized S and N pollutants emitted from China are transported to Korea and Japan, due to persistent westerly winds, in winter and spring.However, the total contributions of China to S and N pollutants across Korea and Japan were not found to be dominant over longer time scales(e.g., a year). The source–receptor relationships for oxidized S and N pollutants in East Asia varied widely among the different studies. This is because:(1) the nonlinear effects of atmospheric chemistry and deposition processes were not well considered, when calculating the source–receptor relationships;(2) different meteorological and emission data inputs and solution schemes for key physical and chemical processes were used; and(3) different temporal and spatial scales were employed. Therefore, simulations using the same input fields and similar model configurations would be of benefit, to further evaluate the source–receptor relationships of the oxidized S and N pollutants.     

Unravelling the effects of complexation of transition metal ions on the hydroxylation of catechol over the whole pH region

Catechol pollutants (CATPs) serving as chelating agents could coordinate with many metal ions to form various CATPs-metal complexes. Little information is available on the effects of complexation of metal ions on CATPs degradation. This work presents a systematical study of •OH-mediated degradation of catechol and catechol-metal complexes over the whole pH range in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Results show that the pH-dependent complexation of metal ions (Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ti⁴⁺ and Fe³⁺) promotes the deprotonation of catechol under neutral and even acidic conditions. The radical adduct formation (RAF) reactions are both thermodynamically and kinetically favorable for all dissociation and complexation species, and OH/O⁻ group-containing C positions are more vulnerable to •OH attack. The kinetic results show that the complexation of the four metal ions offers a wide pH range of effectiveness for catechol degradation. At pH 7, the apparent rate constant (k_app) values for different systems follow the order of catechol+Ti⁴⁺ ≈ catechol+Zn²⁺ > catechol+Cu²⁺ > catechol+Fe³⁺ > catechol. The mechanistic and kinetic results would greatly improve our understanding of the degradation of CATPs-metal and other organics-metal complexes in AOPs. The toxicity assessment indicates that the •OH-based AOPs have the ability for decreasing the toxicity and increasing the biodegradability during the processes of catechol degradation.     

Highly promoted phytoremediation with endophyte inoculation in multi-contaminated soil: plant biochemical and rhizosphere soil ecological functioning behavior

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Rhizosphere soil ecological functioning behavior is of critical importance for regulating phytoremediation efficiency during microbial-assisted...     

Carbon emission reduction potential and its influencing factors in China’s coal-fired power industry: a cost optimization and decomposition analysis

Environment, Development and Sustainability - China has become the world’s most carbon-emitting country, and the coal-fired power industry (CFPI) dominates China’s carbon emissions....     

氟乐灵在土壤中的结合残留及其对作物的影响

介绍了除草剂氟乐灵在两种土壤中可提部分的消失动态,研究了土壤组分、水分状况及微生物活性对~(14)C-氟乐灵结合残留形成的影响,以及土壤中结合残留物对小麦、黑麦草的有效性.结果表明,有机质含量高的黑土能结合较多的~(14)C-残留物.对含结合残留物的土壤进行高温馏出处理,馏出物的GC检定结果显示除少量母体结构外,氟乐灵主要是通过其代谢物与土壤结合的.盆栽试验表明,氟乐灵结合残留对农作物的生长有明显抑制.     

Seed priming with brassinosteroids alleviates aluminum toxicity in rice via improving antioxidant defense system and suppressing aluminum uptake

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Brassinosteroids (BRs) are growth-promoting hormones that exhibit high biological activities across various plant species. BRs shield plants against...