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Research Publications (Food Safety)

This page tracks research articles published in national and international peer-reviewed journals. Recent articles are available ahead of print and searchable by Journal, Article Title, and Category. Research publications are tracked across six categories: Bacterial Pathogens, Chemical Contaminants, Natural Toxins, Parasites, Produce Safety, and Viruses. Articles produced by USDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) and FDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) are also tracked in Scopus.

Displaying 1 - 25 of 640

  1. Strategies of soil microbial N-cycling in different cadmium contaminated soil with wheat straw return

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Cadmium contamination inevitably affects the microbially mediated transformation of nitrogen in soils with wheat straw return. The responses of nitrogen functional microorganisms to cadmium in acidic and alkaline soils under wheat straw returned are still unclear.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  2. Developmental toxicity and mechanism of polychlorinated biphenyls 126 and nano-polystyrene combined exposure to zebrafish larvae

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • 3,3′,4,4′,5-Pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) is the most toxic congener of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL PCBs), while nanoplastics (NPs) have recently emerged as significant marine pollutants, both posing threats to aquatic organisms and human health. They coexist in the environment, but their comprehensive toxicological effects remain unclear. In this study, zebrafish embryos were simultaneously exposed to PCB126 and 80-nanometer nanoplastyrene (NPS).

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Dioxins
  3. Toxicity and fate of cadmium in hydroponically cultivated lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) influenced by microplastics

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Although more attention has been paid to microplastics (MPs) pollution in environment, research on the synthetic influence of microplastic and heavy metals remains limited. To help fill this information gap, we investigated the adsorption behavior of virgin polyvinyl chloride microplastics (PVCMPs) (≤450 µm white spherical powder) on cadmium (II).

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  4. Molecular mechanism of selenium against lead-induced apoptosis in chicken brainstem relating to heat shock protein, selenoproteins, and inflammatory cytokines

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Extensive application of lead (Pb) brought about environmental pollution and toxic reactions of organisms. Selenium (Se) has the effect of antagonizing Pb poisoning in humans and animals. However, it is still unclear how Pb causes brainstem toxicity. In the present study, we wanted to investigate whether Se can alleviate Pb toxicity in chicken brainstems by reducing apoptosis.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  5. From inflammation to pyroptosis: Understanding the consequences of cadmium exposure in chicken liver cells

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Hepatotoxicity is frequently observed following acute cadmium (Cd) exposure in chicken. Oxidative stress and subsequent inflammation are regarded as the main reasons for cadmium-induced liver injury. NOD-like receptor (NLR) family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-induced pyroptosis is involved in various inflammatory diseases, including liver injury.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  6. Developmental effects of zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos after exposure to glyphosate and lead mixtures

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Natural aquatic environments have a heterogeneous composition; therefore, simultaneous exposure to multiple contaminants is relevant and more realistic when assessing exposure and toxicity.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  7. Toxic effects of nanopolystyrene and cadmium on the intestinal tract of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis)

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Nanopolystyrene (NP) and cadmium (Cd) are ubiquitous contaminants in aquatic systems. The present study aimed to investigate the toxic effects of exposure to ambient concentrations of NP and/or Cd on the intestinal tract of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis).

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  8. Potential effect dietary supplementation of calcium tetraborate in quails exposed to cadmium: Its impact on productive performance, oxidative stress, cecal microflora, and histopathological changes

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Cadmium (Cd) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, and Cd exposure harms human health, agriculture, and animal husbandry.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  9. Astilbin antagonizes developmental cardiotoxicity after cadmium exposure in chicken embryos by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress and maintaining calcium homeostasis

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Cadmium (Cd) is a dangerous heavy metal with high toxicity that is known to impair development. Astilbin (ASB) is a protective flavonoid compound. We aimed to explore whether ASB can antagonize the myocardial developmental toxicity of Cd exposure. Cd (2 µg) and/or ASB (0.002 µg) were injected into embryonized eggs that were 1 day old.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  10. Intrinsic and extrinsic pathways of apoptosis induced by multiple antibiotics residues and ocean acidification in hemocytes of scallop Argopecten irradians irradians: An interactionist perspective

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • The increasing prevalence of antibiotics in seawater across global coastal areas, coupled with the ocean acidification induced by climate change, present a multifaceted challenge to marine ecosystems, particularly impacting the key physiological processes of marine organisms.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Antibiotic residues
  11. Kaolinite reduced Cd accumulation in peanut and remediate soil contaminated with both microplastics and cadmium

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Microplastics (MPs) increase the effective state of heavy metals (HMs) in soil and seriously threaten the yield and quality of peanuts (Arachis Hypogea L.). Kaolinite (KL) has the potential to ameliorate MP- and HM- contaminated soils, but the mechanism of action between them is not well understood.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  12. Cadmium exposure dysregulates purine metabolism and homeostasis across the gut-liver axis in a mouse model

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Cadmium (Cd) exposure has been associated with the development of enterohepatic circulation disorders and hyperuricemia, but the possible contribution of chronic low-dose Cd exposure to disease progression is still need to be explored.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  13. Mercapto-palygorskite efficiently immobilizes cadmium in alkaline soil and reduces its accumulation in wheat plants: A field study

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Cadmium (Cd) contamination in wheat fields has become a major environmental issue in many regions of the world. Mercapto-palygorskite (MPAL) is a high-performance amendment that can effectively immobilize Cd in alkaline wheat soil. However, MAPL as an in-situ Cd immobilization strategy for alkaline wheat soil remains to be evaluated on a field-scale and the underlying mechanisms requires further evaluation.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  14. Lead exposure disrupted ileal barrier of developmental Japanese quails(Coturnix japonica): Histopathological damages, microbiota dysbiosis and immune disorder

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • The gut barrier plays an essential role in maintaining homeostasis and is usually composed of a mechanical barrier, a chemical barrier, an immune barrier, and a biological barrier. However, the impacts of lead (Pb) exposure on avian gut barrier are still unclear.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  15. Predicting pesticide residues in pod fruits with a modified peel-like uptake model: A green pea demonstration

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Peas are among the most popular leguminous plants, consumed by both humans and animals in large quantities.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Pesticide residues
  16. Comparative efficacy of silicon and iron oxide nanoparticles towards improving the plant growth and mitigating arsenic toxicity in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Nano-enabled agriculture has emerged as an attractive approach for facilitating soil pollution mitigation and enhancing crop production and nutrition. In this study, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to explore the efficacy of silicon oxide nanoparticles (SiONPs) and iron oxide nanoparticles (FeONPs) in alleviating arsenic (As) toxicity in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and elucidated the underlying mechanisms involved.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  17. Combined effects of lead and manganese on locomotor activity and microbiota in zebrafish

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Exposure to lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn) during early life influences neurodevelopment and increases the risk of neurodegenerative disorders. However, the level of developmental neurotoxicity due to combined exposure to the two metals remains unclear.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  18. Cadmium exposure promotes ferroptosis by upregulating Heat Shock Protein 70 in vascular endothelial damage of zebrafish

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Cadmium (Cd) exposure is a risk factor for endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease. Ferroptosis is a type of cell death that relies on lipid peroxidation. Whether ferroptosis acts in Cd-induced vascular endothelial damage and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Herein, we found that Cd resulted in ferroptosis of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) in vivo and in vitro.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  19. Zinc alleviates cadmium-induced reproductive toxicity via regulating ion homeostasis, metallothionein expression, and inhibiting mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in the freshwater crab Sinopotamon henanense

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Cadmium (Cd) is a carcinogenic environmental pollutant that harms male reproductive systems by lowering sperm quality, impairing spermatogenesis, and causing apoptosis. Although zinc (Zn) has been reported to alleviate Cd toxicity, the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. The aim of this work was to investigate the mitigating effects of Zn on Cd-induced male reproductive toxicity in the freshwater crab Sinopotamon henanense.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  20. Combined impacts of microplastics and cadmium on the liver function, immune response, and intestinal microbiota of crucian carp (Carassius carassius)

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Microplastics (MPs) and the heavy metal cadmium (Cd) have attracted global attention for their toxicological interactions in aquatic organisms.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  21. Accurate derivation and modelling of criteria of soil extractable and total cadmium for safe wheat production

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • It is significant to establish an accurate model to predict cadmium (Cd) criteria for safe wheat production. More importantly, for better evaluation of the risk of Cd pollution in high natural background areas, the soil extractable Cd criteria are needed.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  22. Physiological and proteomic analyses reveal the important role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on enhancing photosynthesis in wheat under cadmium stress

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are important in the phytoremediation of cadmium (Cd). Improving photosynthesis under Cd stress helps to increase crop yields. However, the molecular regulatory mechanisms of AMF on photosynthetic processes in wheat (Triticum aestivum) under Cd stress remain unclear.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  23. Spatiotemporal distribution and probabilistic health risk assessment of arsenic in drinking water and wheat in Northwest China

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Drinking water arsenic poisoning has been a health concern, however the importance of dietary arsenic exposure to health also needs to be taken into account. The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive health risk assessment of arsenic-contaminated substances in drinking water and wheat-based food intake in the Guanzhong Plain, China. 87 samples of wheat and 150 samples of water were randomly selected from the research region and examined.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  24. Novel mechanisms of cadmium tolerance and Cd-induced fungal stress in wheat: Transcriptomic and metagenomic insights

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Although several studies on the effects of cadmium (Cd) on wheat have been reported, the gene expression profiles of different wheat tissues in response to gradient concentrations of Cd, and whether soil microorganisms are involved in the damage to wheat remain to be discovered.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  25. Regulation of gut bacteria in silkworm (Bombyx mori) after exposure to endogenous cadmium-polluted mulberry leaves

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Soil cadmium (Cd) pollution presents a severe pollution burden to flora and fauna due to its non-degradability and transferability. The Cd in the soil is stressing the silkworm (Bombyx mori) out through a soil-mulberry-silkworm system. The gut microbiota of B.mori are reported to shape host health.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals