Research Publications (Food Safety)

Heavy metal toxicity reduces the growth and development of crop plants growing in metal-contaminated regions. Disposal of industrial waste in agricultural areas has negative effects on the physiochemical activities of plants. This research aimed to examine the fulvic acid (FA)-mediated efficacy of Brassica napus L. regarding stress tolerance in soil amended with paper sludge (PS).

Deeper and longer roots allow crops to survive and flourish, but our understanding of the plant growth regulators promoting root system establishment is limited. Here, we report that, a novel auxin receptor agonist, named K-10, had a remarkable promotive effect on root growth in both Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa through the enhancement of root-related signaling responses.

Arsenic (As) is a toxic metalloid that is present in natural surroundings in many forms with severe consequences to sustainable agriculture and human health. Plant growth-promoting Rhizobia have been found involved in the induction of plant tolerance under various biotic and abiotic stresses.

An effective method of iron extraction from bauxite residue was explored, and iron was used to prepare iron carbon composite material, which have a good adsorption effect on the heavy metal cadmium. After acid washing, acid leaching, Fe(III) reduction and ferrous oxalate decomposition, FeSO4·H2O(RM) was successfully extracted from bauxite residue, and the iron loss was only 4.35%.

Plasmodium parasites have a complex life cycle that includes development in the human host as well as the Anopheles vector. Successful transmission of the parasite between its host and vector therefore requires the parasite to balance its investments in asexual replication and sexual reproduction, varying the frequency of sexual commitment to persist within the human host and generate future opportunities for transmission.

Resistance to trimethoprim and other antibiotics targeting dihydrofolate reductase may arise in bacteria harboring an atypical, plasmid-encoded, homotetrameric dihydrofolate reductase, called R67 DHFR. Although developing inhibitors to this enzyme may be expected to be promising drugs to fight trimethoprim-resistant strains, there is a paucity of reports describing the development of such molecules. In this manuscript, we describe the design of promising lead compounds to target R67 DHFR.

Biohydrometallurgy waste (BW) was used as sulfate sources for supersulfated cement (SSC) production with the aim of providing an alternative binder for cemented paste backfill (CPB).

In this study, pumpkin seedlings were subjected to cadmium stress (100 mg/L cadmium ion solution, 10 days) without or with wheat straw biochar at different concentrations (0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2% w/v). As the biochar concentration increased, the amount of cadmium accumulated in the root and stem of pumpkin seedlings decreased and the fresh weight of root, stem and leaf increased. The highest cadmium concentration was in the root, followed by the stem and then the leaf.

It is crucial that a highly effective adsorbent can be used to simultaneously remove the composite pollution including both inorganic and organic arsenic from wastewater. In this work, the iron modified corncob biochar (MCCB), prepared via the co-precipitation of ferric chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3⋅6H2O) with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) on corncob biochar, was studied for the high efficiency removal of arsenilic acid (ASA) and arsenate [As(V)] in wastewater.

Long-term pig manure addition has been widely applied in red soil to improve soil fertility. However, the influence of combined utilization of pig manure and effective microbes (EM) on soil organic carbon (SOC) and Cd are not well understood.

The higher moisture level (70–80%) in wet brewer’s grain (WBG) poses two major difficulties when using it as a feed for different classes of animals. Firstly, transport of WBG is costly. Secondly, the rich polysaccharide and protein content and the high moisture content of WBG make it susceptible to microbial growth and spoilage. Therefore this study was planned to examine the effect of soaking, sun drying and ensiling on nutritional and fungal load dynamics of wet brewers’ grain.

Inorganic arsenic (iAs) and fluoride (iF) are the main inorganic pollutants in groundwater. The purpose of this study was to determine the iAs and iF concentrations in water available to the population to estimate the non-carcinogenic risks of iAs and iF exposure and the carcinogenic risk iAs exposure in residents of Tula de Allende municipality, Hidalgo, Mexico. Water iAs concentrations ranged from 8.5 to 331 µg/L, and iF concentrations ranged from 0.86 to 3.2 mg/L.

Although several grasses have been evaluated for cadmium (Cd) phytoextraction, there are few studies assessing how Cd is accumulated and distributed in the tissues of Panicum maximum grown in mildly spiked soils. The evaluation of tillering, nutritional status and biomass yield of this grass, mainly along successive shoot regrowths, is not well studied so far. Thus, P. maximum Jacq. cv.

Excavated soils from construction activities contaminated with geogenic arsenic (As) are increasing concerns owing to after disposal impact on ecosystem and human health. Washing remediation with chelators, e.g., ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), has been evaluated widely to treat contaminated soil. However, prolonged persistence and noxiousness of EDTA and its homologs evoke eco-concerns.

Background Epidemiological data indicate an association between cadmium exposure and risk of bone fracture; however, clinical treatment of cadmium-induced fracture is limited.

Similar to other cnidarians such as stony corals, the upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea spp.) lives in endosymbiosis with dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae. These jellyfish have been described as invasive species and are now found circumtropically in coastal marine environments.

We have investigated if EWH could counteract or prevent cardiovascular damage induced by high level of Cd exposure in rats. Male Wistar rats were treated for 14 days with: (A) Untreated - intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of distilled water and tap water by gavage; (B) Cd − 1 mg/kg of bw/day of CdCl2 (i.p.) and tap water by gavage; (C) EWH – distilled water (i.p.) and 1 mg/kg/day of EWH by gavage; (D) CdEWH – both treatments.

This study used the sexually mature Chinese mitten crabs as the research object, and the total arsenic and six major species were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). The influence of three common cooking methods on the forms of arsenic and content in different edible parts of crabs were explored.

Grapevine is one of the economically most important quality crops. The monitoring of the plant performance during the growth period is, therefore, important to ensure a high quality end-product. This includes the observation, detection, and respective reduction of unhealthy berries (physically damaged, or diseased). At harvest, it is not necessary to know the exact cause of the damage, but rather if the damage is apparent or not.

The integration of phytoremediation and biostimulation can improve pollutant removal from the environment. Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs), which are structurally related to xenobiotics, can stimulate the presence of microbial community members, exhibiting specialized functions toward detoxifying, and thus mitigating soil toxicity.

Natural resistance-associated macrophage protein (NRAMP) genes encode proteins with low substrate specificity, important for maintaining metal cross homeostasis in the cell. The role of these proteins in tobacco, an important crop plant with wide application in the tobacco industry as well as in phytoremediation of metal-contaminated soils, remains unknown. Here, we identified NtNRAMP3, the closest homologue to NRAMP3 proteins from other plant species, and functionally characterized it.

Glutathione S-transferases (GST) are involved in the detoxification of exogenous chemicals including lead (Pb). Using data from 344 pairs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases and age- and sex-matched typically developing (TD) controls (2–8 years old) from Jamaica, we investigated the interaction between three GST genes and ASD status as determinants of blood Pb concentrations (BPbCs). We found that ASD cases had lower geometric mean BPbCs than TD children (1.74 vs.

In CD-1 mice, gestational-only exposure to cadmium (Cd) causes female-specific hepatic insulin resistance, metabolic disruption, and obesity. To evaluate whether sex differences in uptake and changes in essential metal concentrations contribute to metabolic outcomes, placental and liver Cd and essential metal concentrations were quantified in male and female offspring perinatally exposed to 500 ppb CdCl2.

Lead is a nonessential metal and may be a coexposure in welding fumes. Preclinical data indicate lead may affect iron regulation. The current study investigated blood lead concentrations and their association with brain iron accumulation in workers with chronic welding fume exposure, with a focus on iron-rich subcortical regions of the cerebellum and basal ganglia. Occupational exposure, whole blood metal, and brain MRI data were obtained from 29 controls and 42 welders.

by Priyashi Rao, Dweipayan Goswami, Rakesh M. Rawal Since its origin, the emergence of vector-borne infections has taken a toll on incalculable human lives. The use of chemical insecticides is one of the early known methods of vector control and although their use is still a prevalent way to combat insect population sadly the perils of insects related transmission still persists.