Research Publications (Food Safety)

Aims Suilysin (SLY), a crucial virulence‐related factor, has multiple cytotoxicities that are regarded as playing a key role in several diseases induced by Streptococcus suis. The aim of this study was to identify an effective inhibitor of SLY and to evaluate the potential inhibitory effect of the inhibitor against S. suis virulence.

Aim The increase in the number of fungal infections worldwide, coupled with the limitations of current antifungal chemotherapy, demand the development of safe and effective new antifungals. Here, we presented the synthesis of a novel acridone (M14) and its antifungal properties against Candida and dermatophytes species. Methods and Results A series of 17 acridones was designed, synthesized and tested for its antifungal activity.

This study evaluated the association between urinary cadmium (U‐Cd) and blood Cd (B‐Cd) and several biomarkers of renal dysfunction (α1‐microglobulin [α1‐MG], β2‐microglobulin [β2‐MG], N‐acetyl‐β‐d‐glucosaminidase, metallothionein, retinol‐binding protein and microalbumin [mALB]) and identified the biomarker(s) that was most closely correlated with U‐Cd and B‐Cd among female residents in rural areas of southwest China.

Owing to the increasing application of engineered nanoparticles (NPs), besides the workplace, human beings are also exposed to NPs from nanoproducts through the skin, respiratory tract, digestive tract and vein injection. This review states pathways of cellular uptake, subcellular distribution and excretion of NPs.

In both human and animals, in utero exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine‐disrupting chemical used in the production of plastics and epoxy resins, has been shown to affect offspring reproductive and metabolic health during adult life. We hypothesized that the effect of prenatal exposure to environmentally relevant doses of BPA will be evident during fetal organogenesis and fetal/postnatal growth trajectory.

The amino acid derivative reactivity assay (ADRA) is an in chemico alternative method that focuses on protein binding as the molecular initiating event for skin sensitization. It is a simple and versatile method that has successfully solved some of the problems of the direct peptide reactivity assay (DPRA). The transferability and within‐ and between‐laboratory reproducibility of ADRA were evaluated and confirmed as part of a validation study conducted at four participating laboratories.

Permethrin, a pyrethroid chemical, is widely used as a pesticide because of its rapid insecticidal activity. Although permethrin is considered to exert very low toxicity in mammals, the effects of early, low‐level, chronic exposure on the adult central nervous system are unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of low‐level, chronic permethrin exposure in early life on the brain functions of adult mice, using environmentally relevant concentrations.

Arsenic is a metalloid widely found in the environment in organic and inorganic forms. Exposure to inorganic arsenic forms via drinking water has been associated with an increased incidence of negative health effects, including reproductive disorders and dysfunction of the endocrine system. However, the impact of arsenic exposure on female reproductive development is still unclear.

The environmental accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is of great concern due to potential carcinogenic and mutagenic risks, as well as their resistance to remediation. While many fungi have been reported to break down PAHs in environments, the details of gene-based metabolic pathways are not yet comprehensively understood. Specifically, the genome-scale transcriptional responses of fungal PAH degradation have rarely been reported.

In this study, the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in the street soil of Ma’an City, Jordan. The probable sources of PAHs in the soils were estimated by using diagnostic ratios. PAHs were extracted from soil samples via the ultrasonic extraction method using three portions of 20 mL of n-hexane/acetone mixture. The most priority environmental protection agency 13 PAHs were determined in the extract using gas chromatography–mass spectrometer.

Land application is suggested to be the most economical sludge disposal method but is also a potential source of bisphenol analogs (BPs) to the environment. In this study, BP concentrations in sewage sludge from Henan province ranged from 15.1 to 2237 ng g−1 dw.

The widespread use of bisphenol S (BPS) as a bisphenol A substitute increases its potential of release into the aquatic environments. However, the degradation of BPS in aquatic systems is largely unknown, which will dictate its fate and toxicity. In this study, a bacterial consortium was enriched from river sediments and the dynamic changes of community structure during bacterial acclimation were studied.

This research presents the assessment of contamination status, congener profiles and ecological risk of selected endocrine disrupting compounds (S-EDCs) in surface water from KimNguu River, Hanoi. Selected EDCs compose polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), phthalate esters (PAEs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Water sampling and chemical analyses were carried out in collected water samples in dry season (April) and wet season (October) in 2018.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the replacement aspects of conventional methods (petroleum-based solvent and Folch assay) by alternative methods (bio-based and biodegradable solvent 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MeTHF) and supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2)) for seed oil extraction from anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.).

The term ‘quality’ is a complex parameter in the field of potato production, and the desired quality traits depend on the intended use. Important internal quality traits for potatoes are tuber flesh discolouration, dry matter, and starch content. External quality traits include tuber size and shape as well as resistance against mechanical stress during and after harvest. These quality traits are closely interrelated and genetically controlled.

There is a significant increase in the discovery of new antimicrobial compounds in recent past to combat drug resistant pathogens. Members of the genus Bacillus and related genera have been screened extensively due to their ability to produce wide range of antimicrobial compounds. In this study, we have isolated and characterized a new antimicrobial peptide from a marine bacterium identified as Virgibacillus species.

This study aimed to estimate in laboratory the temporal production of methylmercury during the filling of reservoirs of hydropower plants and to correlate it to the ecosystem of different locations in northern Brazil: Jirau hydropower plant in the Madeira River in the state of Rondônia (white waters—under construction), Cana Brava hydropower plant in the Tocantins River in the state of Goiás (clear waters—completed), and the Negro River in the Amazon (black waters—comparative).

Chimney sweeps have higher incidence and mortality of cardiovascular disease (CVD), likely related to their exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). In order to identify underlying mechanisms of PAH-related CVD, we here investigated whether PAH exposure was associated with levels of putative CVD-related proteins in serum among currently working chimney sweeps. We enrolled 116 chimney sweeps and 125 unexposed controls, all nonsmoking male workers from Sweden.

Spent lead paste is the main component in lead-acid batteries reaching end of life. It contains about 55% lead sulphate and 35% lead dioxide, as well as minor amounts of lead oxide. It is necessary to recycle spent lead paste with minimal pollution and low energy consumption instead of the conventional smelting method.

The adverse health consequences of environmental, occupational, and dietary exposure to either diethylnitrosamine (DEN) or cadmium (Cd) have been widely investigated. However, because most environmental exposures to xenobiotics do not occur in isolation but in mixtures, the effects of simultaneous exposure to both DEN and Cd on hepatorenal function deserves investigation.

The aim of this study was to examine whether a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ agonist could affect cadmium (Cd)-induced cytotoxicity via the increased expression of megalin, one of the uptake pathways, using renal epithelial LLC-PK1 cells.

Environmental pollution is significant and oftentimes hazardous in the areas, where mining, foundries and smelters and other metallurgical operations are located. Systematic research on the chronic effects of metals started during the past century; nevertheless, it is evident that even today, there are large gaps in knowledge regarding the assessment of the health effects caused by environmental and occupational exposures to these metals.

Background: Missile-related blood lead elevations and toxicity are well documented in the literature but reports on its associated risk factor(s) are few.
Objective: To determine if bone fracture(s) contribute to an elevated lead blood level.

There is a global concern about adverse health effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogenic and obesogenic compound, used in the plastic and medical industry has a dominant position among EDCs as far as human health and regulatory scenario are concerned. Due to its omnipresence across the biosphere, population of all age groups and health status is unavoidably exposed to BPA. Transgenerational exposure to BPA and its effects have also been recognized.

The eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) specifically recognizes the 5′ mRNA cap, a rate-limiting step in the translation initiation process. Although the 7-methylguanosine cap (MMGcap) is the most common 5′ cap structure in eukaryotes, the trans-splicing process that occurs in several organism groups, including nematodes and flatworms, leads to the addition of a trimethylguanosine cap (TMGcap) to some RNA transcripts.