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Agricultural soils play a key role in the achievement of a circular nutrient economy. The use of sewage sludges as fertilizers is important for such an achievement, assisting in the maintenance of soil health and nutritional crop value. This study was established, after 23 years of a fertilization experiment, in calcareous soil under a maize monoculture. The treatments included mineral fertilization as a control (MIN, 225 kg N ha−1) and two sludge treatments, where doses followed a threshold sludge nitrogen criterion (SNC, 170 kg org-N ha−1) or a threshold soil phosphorus criterion (SPC; when the soil Olsen-P value exceeded 40–60 kg P ha−1, the sludge application was stopped). A detailed study was performed on Cd, Cu, F, Mn, Pb, and Zn soil extractable with diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), as well as the nutrient and heavy metal concentration of different fractions of the maize plant (grain, cob, and the rest of the plant). Extractions were also quantified. No biomass-yield differences were observed in the different parts of the maize plant in the year of sampling. Sludges increased the soil DTPA extraction of Cd, Cu, Fe, and Zn and diminished Mn extraction, without differences in extractable Pb. The SNC, when compared with MIN, showed increased P cob concentrations, and in grain, it showed increased Fe, Cr, and Co concentrations. The SPC figures of the studied parameters were, in general, between both treatments (MIN and SNC), although Cr extractions in grain diminished vs. SNC. Based on the results, the SPC can be recommended as it also avoids excessive available-P build up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies showed the role of trace elements in the increase in human susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases. Carotid artery stenosis is a leading cause of ischemic neurological events. We aimed to analyze the potential role of trace elements in hair as biomarkers of atherosclerotic carotid artery disease. Materials and Methods: Fifty-seven (n = 31 (54%) men and n = 26 (46%) women) individuals with a mean age of 67.7 ± 7.7 years who were white, European, non-Hispanic, and non-Latino were diagnosed and treated in hypertensiology/internal medicine and surgical departments over three consecutive months. Of these patients, forty were diagnosed with advanced carotid artery disease, and seventeen comprised a group of healthy controls. Inflammatory and oncological diseases were exclusion criteria. Hair samples were collected, and 14 trace elements were analyzed. Clinical and laboratory data were compared and revealed differences in the co-existence of diabetes (p = 0.036) and smoking history (p = 0.041). In the multivariable analysis, zinc, chrome, and copper revealed predictive value for the occurrence of carotid artery disease, and their combined receiver operating curve showed area under the curve of 0.935, with a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 82.4%. Conclusion: Our report shows the significance of trace elements analyses in patients with advanced carotid artery disease. We revealed that zinc, copper, and chrome concentrations are of particular importance in differentiating atherosclerotic disease and may serve as biomarkers of carotid atherosclerosis. Hair samples represent an easily obtained and beneficial biomatrix for the assessment of biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of heavy metals contained in soils into the food chain is mediated by plants. Plants show varying abilities to take up and accumulate these elements during vegetative growth. In this study, changes in the content, rate of uptake, accumulation, and translocation of heavy metals during six stages of development of pea plants were determined. In field experiments, two pea cultivars were cultivated in two consecutive growing seasons. The harvested plants were divided into the roots and aerial parts, and at full maturity the seeds were separated additionally. Significant changes in the content of the heavy metals in the separated parts and on average in the entire plant, as well as their bioaccumulation factors (BAFs), were most often noted up to the flowering stage of pea plants, after which these values usually did not change significantly. The highest rate of uptake of heavy metals per day of growth was noted between the full flowering stage and the stage when 50% of pods were of typical length. Their translocation factor (TF) was most often highest between the three-internode stage and the full flowering stage. The content, uptake, BAF, and TF of the heavy metals most often varied between years of the study, but did not significantly depend on the pea cultivar. The BAF indicates the potential of pea plants to hyperaccumulate lead and zinc and moderate accumulation of other heavy metals in their aerial parts. Excessive concentrations of lead and cadmium disqualified pea's seeds to be used as human food, whereas excessive concentrations of lead prevented their use as fodder. Green mass of pea plants can be used as animal fodder according to the EU directives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of soil amendments, characterized by different sorption properties, on the effectiveness of trace elements' (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Ni, and Cr) stabilization and bioavailability to earthworms. The study was conducted as a microcosm experiment using soil derived from a heavily contaminated post-industrial area. The Eisenia veneta earthworm was cultured for 4 weeks in soils amended with materials characterized by different properties, origins, and potential effects on limiting the availability of metals in soils: two type of compost (Zabrze compost-ZC; GWDA compost-GC), two types of biosolid (Bełchatów biosolids-BB, Grabów biosolids-GB), calcium phosphate (CP), iron oxide (IO), bentonite (BE), rock waste (RW), and limestone (CC). After the incubation, the biomass and survival numbers of the earthworm species decreased significantly (p < 0.05). The accumulation of metals in the earthworm tissues expressed by the bioaccumulation factor value (BSAF) were dependent on the type of amendment applied to the soil. The highest decrease in the earthworms' weight and survival rate was caused by compost (72%) and bentonite (33%), while the lowest was caused by the rock waste (10%) and iron oxide (11%). The biosolids exhibited the greatest toxicity, causing the mortality of all the earthworms. The accumulation of metals in earthworm tissues and the BSAF value were dependent on the type of amendment applied to the soil. The BSAF for the contaminated soil by Cd decreased to the greatest extent after the addition of ZC (by 57%), GC (55%), CP (41%), and IO (37%). A similarly positive effect was noted for Pb after IO addition (45% decrease). The Zn, Cr, and Ni concentration in earthworms, contrary to other elements, increased, regardless of the amendment. The results showed that the applied soil amendments were characterized by varying potential for the reduction in the metal bioavailability in the soil, depending on their composition and physicochemical properties. Moreover, earthworms may exhibit a diversified response to soil amendments as a result of the impact of amendment on the metal forms in soils and their direct impact on organisms. Generally, the Cd was easily transferred from the soil into and accumulated in the earthworm tissues. Our study confirms that this element creates the highest risk for the trophic chain in soils affected by the Zn and Pb smelting industry. Moreover, greater Zn supply reduces the accumulation of Cd in animal bodies. This study provides valuable practical knowledge on the short-term biological effects of a range of soil amendments in metal-contaminated soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work demonstrates that a version of the Reduction Expansion Synthesis (RES) process, Cr-RES, can create a micron scale Cr coating on an iron wire. The process involves three steps. I. A paste consisting of a physical mix of urea, chrome nitrate or chrome oxide, and water is prepared. II. An iron wire is coated by dipping. III. The coated, and dried, wire is heated to ~800 °C for 10 min in a tube furnace under a slow flow of nitrogen gas. The processed wires were then polished and characterized, primarily with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM indicates the chrome layer is uneven, but only on the scale of a fraction of a micron. The evidence of porosity is ambiguous. Elemental mapping using SEM electron microprobe that confirmed the process led to the formation of a chrome metal layer, with no evidence of alloy formation. Additionally, it was found that thickness of the final Cr layer correlated with the thickness of the precursor layer that was applied prior to the heating step. Potentially, this technique could replace electrolytic processing, a process that generates carcinogenic hexavalent chrome, but further study and development is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atorvastatin is extensively used to treat hypercholesterolemia. However, the wide interindividual variability observed in response to this drug still needs further elucidation. Nowadays, the biology of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) is better understood, and some of these molecules have been related to cholesterol metabolism. Therefore, they could provide additional information on variability in response to statins. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of atorvastatin on three lncRNAs (lncRNA ARSR: Activated in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with sunitinib resistance, ENST00000424980; lncRNA LASER: lipid associated single nucleotide polymorphism locus, ENSG00000237937; and lncRNA CHROME: cholesterol homeostasis regulator of miRNA expression, ENSG00000223960) associated with genes involved in cholesterol metabolism as predictors of lipid-lowering therapy performance. Twenty hypercholesterolemic patients were treated for four weeks with atorvastatin (20 mg/day). The lipid profile was determined before and after drug administration using conventional assays. The expression of lncRNAs was assessed in peripheral blood samples by RT-qPCR. As expected, atorvastatin improved the lipid profile, decreasing total cholesterol, LDL-C, and the TC/HDL-C ratio (p < 0.0001) while increasing the expression of lncRNAs ARSR and CHROME (p < 0.0001) upon completion of treatment. LASER did not show significant differences among the groups (p = 0.50). Our results indicate that atorvastatin modulates the expression of cholesterol-related lncRNAs differentially, suggesting that these molecules play a role in the variability of response to this drug; however, additional studies are needed to disclose the implication of this differential regulation on statin response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]