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Recent years have seen increased interest in the influence of bioactive dietary components on human genes and gene expression. A good source of many bioactive substances is the chicken egg. The egg is considered to be an excellent food provided by nature. It is a good source of nutrients such as vitamins A, B2, B6, B12, D, E and K, as well as elements including phosphorus, selenium, iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium. The research material use in this study consisted of eggs from hens kept in two different systems: organic and battery cages. The content of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn) was determined in the egg contents – in the yolk and white respectively. The content of elements was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) using an AA280 FS spectrometer with the automatic dilution of standards and samples. The eggs from the organically raised hens had a higher calcium, magnesium and zinc content. The greater variation in the Ca, Mg and Zn content in the organic eggs is due to the more individualized feeding system. The rearing system of the hens significantly affects the concentration of elements in the egg. The results of this research indicate that eggs from organic farming systems have a richer chemical composition in terms of the content of nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and zinc compared with eggs obtained from caged hens. Therefore, consumers purchasing eggs should consider the system in which the hens were reared, as eggs can be a valuable source of these elements in the diet.

Nonunion is a relatively rare, yet challenging problem after fracture of the femoral neck. Risk factors include verticality of the fracture line and presence of comminution of the posteromedial calcar, as well as quality of reduction. Treatment options consist of valgus intertrochanteric osteotomy versus arthroplasty. Treatment should be tailored to the individual patient, taking into account patient age and activity demands. This review outlines the principles and technical considerations for valgus osteotomy of the proximal femur in the setting of femoral neck nonunion.

More than half of the world's rivers dry up periodically, but our understanding of the biological communities in dry riverbeds remains limited. Specifically, the roles of dispersal, environmental filtering and biotic interactions in driving biodiversity in dry rivers are poorly understood. Here, we conduct a large-scale coordinated survey of patterns and drivers of biodiversity in dry riverbeds. We focus on eight major taxa, including microorganisms, invertebrates and plants: Algae, Archaea, Bacteria, Fungi, Protozoa, Arthropods, Nematodes and Streptophyta. We use environmental DNA metabarcoding to assess biodiversity in dry sediments collected over a 1-year period from 84 non-perennial rivers across 19 countries on four continents. Both direct factors, such as nutrient and carbon availability, and indirect factors such as climate influence the local biodiversity of most taxa. Limited resource availability and prolonged dry phases favor oligotrophic microbial taxa. Co-variation among taxa, particularly Bacteria, Fungi, Algae and Protozoa, explain more spatial variation in community composition than dispersal or environmental gradients. This finding suggests that biotic interactions or unmeasured ecological and evolutionary factors may strongly influence communities during dry phases, altering biodiversity responses to global changes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor which invades the nearby brain tissue but generally does not spread to the distant organs. Nonetheless, if untreated, GBM can result in patient death in time even less than few months from the diagnosis. The influence of the tumor progress on organs other than brain is obvious but still not well described. Therefore, we examined the elemental abnormalities appearing in selected body organs (kidney, heart, spleen, lung) in two rat models of GBM. The animals used for the study were subjected to the implantation of human GBM cell lines (U87MG and T98G) characterized by different levels of invasiveness. The elemental analysis of digested organ samples was carried out using the total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) method, independently, in three European laboratories utilizing various commercially available TXRF spectrometers. The comparison of the data obtained for animals subjected to T98G and U87MG cells implantation showed a number of elemental anomalies in the examined organs. What is more, the abnormalities were found for rats even if neoplastic tumor did not develop in their brains. The most of alterations for both experimental groups were noted in the spleen and lungs, with the direction of the found element changes in these organs being the opposite. The observed disorders of element homeostasis may result from many processes occurring in the animal body as a result of implantation of cancer cells or the development of GBM, including inflammation, anemia of chronic disease or changes in iron metabolism. Tumor induced changes in organ elemental composition detected in cooperating laboratories were usually in a good agreement. In case of elements with higher atomic numbers (Fe, Cu, Zn and Se), 88% of the results were classified as fully compliant. Some discrepancies between the laboratories were found for lighter elements (P, S, K and Ca). However, also in this case, the obtained results fulfilled the requirements of full (the results from three laboratories were in agreement) or partial agreement (the results from two laboratories were in agreement)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

More than 20 years after the Water Framework Directive was adopted, there are still major gaps in the sanitary status of small rivers and waterbodies at the head of basins. These small streams supply water to a large number of wetlands that support a rich biodiversity. Many of these waterbodies are fishponds whose production is destined for human consumption or for the restocking of other aquatic environments. However, these ecosystems are exposed to contaminants, including pesticides and their transformation products. This work aims to provide information on the distribution, diversity, and concentrations of agricultural contaminants in abiotic and biotic compartments from a fishpond located at the head of watersheds. A total of 20 pesticides and 20 transformation products were analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS in water and sediment sampled monthly throughout a fish production cycle, and in three fish species at the beginning and end of the cycle. The highest mean concentrations were found for metazachlor-OXA (519.48 ± 56.52 ng.L -1 ) in water and benzamide (4.23 ± 0.17 ng g -1 dry wt.) in sediment. Up to 20 contaminants were detected per water sample and 26 per sediment sample. The transformation products of atrazine (banned in Europe since 2003 but still widely used in other parts of the world), flufenacet, imidacloprid (banned in France since 2018), metazachlor, and metolachlor were more concentrated than their parent compounds. Fewer contaminants were detected in fish and principally prosulfocarb accumulated in organisms during the cycle. Our work brings innovative data on the contamination of small waterbodies located at the head of a basin. The transformation products with the highest frequency of occurrence and concentrations should be prioritized for further environmental monitoring studies, and specific toxicity thresholds should be defined. Few contaminants were found in fish, but the results challenge the widely use of prosulfocarb., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Monitoring pesticides in the environment requires the use of sensitive analytical methods. However, existing methods are generally not suitable for analyzing small organisms, as they require large matrix masses. This study explores the development of a miniaturized extraction protocol for the monitoring of small organisms, based on only 30 mg of matrix. The miniaturized sample preparation was developed using fish and macroinvertebrate matrices. It allowed the characterization of 41 pesticides and transformation products (log P from -1.9 to 4.8) in small samples with LC-MS/MS, based on European guidelines (European Commission DG-SANTE, 2019). Quantification limits ranged from 3 to 460 ng g -1 dry weight (dw) for fish and from 0.1 to 356 ng g -1 dw for invertebrates, with most below 60 ng g -1 dw. Extraction rates ranged from 70% to 120% for 35 molecules in fish. Recoveries ranged from 70% to 120% for 37 molecules in macroinvertebrates. Inter-day precision was below 30% for 32 molecules at quantification limits. The method was successfully applied to 17 fish and 19 macroinvertebrates collected from two ponds of the French region of Dombes in November and May 2018, respectively. Both sample matrices were nearly always contaminated with benzamide, imidacloprid-desnitro, and prosulfocarb at respective concentrations of 42-237, 3, and 30-165 ng g -1 dw in fish, and 62-438, 2-6, and 15-29 ng g -1 dw in macroinvertebrates. Results show that this method is an effective tool for characterizing polar pesticides in small biotic samples., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have recently become very attractive for the scientific community due to their broad spectrum of applications in the biomedical field. The main advantages of AgNPs include a simple method of synthesis, a simple way to change their morphology and high surface area to volume ratio. Much research has been carried out over the years to evaluate their possible effectivity against microbial organisms. The most important factors which influence the effectivity of AgNPs against microorganisms are the method of their preparation and the type of application. When incorporated into fabric wound dressings and other textiles, AgNPs have shown significant antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and inhibited biofilm formation. In this review, the different routes of synthesizing AgNPs with controlled size and geometry including chemical, green, irradiation and thermal synthesis, as well as the different types of application of AgNPs for wound dressings such as membrane immobilization, topical application, preparation of nanofibers and hydrogels, and the mechanism behind their antimicrobial activity, have been discussed elaborately.

The aim of this research is to develop a fast analytical method for multielemental analysis of the tobacco plant Virginia tobacco (cultivated in Poland) and tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, snuff and two kinds of properly crafted tobacco such as a shisha and cigarette tobacco) distributed in Polish markets by means of a low-power benchtop total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) system. For this purpose, a set of certified tobacco materials and real samples was employed. In leaves and stalks of V. tobacco and tobacco products, a concentration of 18 elements (P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr and Pb) was determined. Analyzing elemental composition of tobacco plants, one can see that concentrations of S, Ca, Ti, Mn, Zn, Sr and Pb are higher in leaves, whereas the concentrations of P, Cl, K, Fe Cu and Br are higher in stalks; the levels of Cr, Ni, As and Rb are comparable in both these parts of the tobacco plant. All of the parameters affecting sample preparation and TXRF measurements conditions were carefully evaluated. The accuracy and precision of the TXRF measurements were verified using an internal standardization approach for quantification.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) regulates critical signal transduction pathways involved in the pathobiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other autoimmune disorders. BMS-986142 is a potent and highly selective reversible small molecule inhibitor of BTK currently being investigated in clinical trials for the treatment of both RA and primary Sjögren's syndrome. In the present report, we detail the in vitro and in vivo pharmacology of BMS-986142 and show this agent provides potent and selective inhibition of BTK (IC50 = 0.5 nM), blocks antigen receptor-dependent signaling and functional endpoints (cytokine production, co-stimulatory molecule expression, and proliferation) in human B cells (IC50 ≤ 5 nM), inhibits Fcγ receptor-dependent cytokine production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and blocks RANK-L-induced osteoclastogenesis. Through the benefits of impacting these important drivers of autoimmunity, BMS-986142 demonstrated robust efficacy in murine models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA). In both models, robust efficacy was observed without continuous, complete inhibition of BTK. When a suboptimal dose of BMS-986142 was combined with other agents representing the current standard of care for RA (e.g., methotrexate, the TNFα antagonist etanercept, or the murine form of CTLA4-Ig) in the CIA model, improved efficacy compared to either agent alone was observed. The results suggest BMS-986142 represents a potential therapeutic for clinical investigation in RA, as monotherapy or co-administered with agents with complementary mechanisms of action.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex systemic autoimmune disease driven by both innate and adaptive immune cells. African Americans tend to present with more severe disease at an earlier age compared with patients of European ancestry. In order to better understand the immunological differences between African American and European American patients, we analyzed the frequencies of B cell subsets and the expression of B cell activation markers from a total of 68 SLE patients and 69 normal healthy volunteers. We found that B cells expressing the activation markers CD86, CD80, PD1, and CD40L, as well as CD19 + CD27 - IgD - double-negative B cells, were enriched in African American patients vs. patients of European ancestry. In addition to increased expression of CD40L, surface levels of CD40 on B cells were lower, suggesting the engagement of the CD40 pathway. In vitro experiments confirmed that CD40L expressed by B cells could lead to CD40 activation and internalization on adjacent B cells. To conclude, these results indicate that, compared with European American patients, African American SLE patients present with a particularly active B cell component, possibly via the activation of the CD40/CD40L pathway. These data may help guide the development of novel therapies.

Constructed wetlands have been suggested as pesticide risk mitigation measures. Yet, in many agricultural areas, ponds or shallow lakes are already present and may contribute to the control of non-point source contamination by pesticides. In order to test this hypothesis, we investigated the influence of extensively managed barrage fishponds (n = 3) on the dissolved concentrations of 100 pesticides in headwater streams over the course of a year. Among the 100 pesticides, 50 different substances were detected upstream and 48 downstream. Highest measured concentration upstream was 26.5 μg/L (2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid, MCPA) and 5.19 μg/L (isoproturon) downstream. Fishponds were found to reduce peak exposure levels as high pesticide concentrations (defined here as ≥ 1 μg/L) generally decreased by more than 90% between upstream and downstream sampling sites. The measured concentrations in the investigated streams were compared to laboratory toxicity data for standard test organisms (algae, invertebrates and fish) using the toxic unit approach. When considering the threshold levels set by the European Union within the first tier risk assessment procedure for pesticide registration (commission regulation (EU) N° 546/2011), regulatory threshold exceedances were observed for 22 pesticides upstream from fishponds and for 9 pesticides downstream. Therefore, the investigated barrage fishponds contributed to the reduction of pesticide peak concentrations and potential risk of adverse effects for downstream ecosystems., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Fish are often exposed to various molecules like pesticides. Some of these compounds get biomagnified within aquatic food web, inducing health hazards of consumers. However, behaviors of many pesticides are still unknown. This work aims to study the uptake and the elimination of some of them in muscle tissue of edible fish (azoxystrobin, clomazone, diflufenican, dimethachlor, carbendazim, iprodion, isoproturon, mesosulfuron-methyl, metazachlor, napropamid, quizalofop, and thifensulfuron-methyl). Two freshwater fish species (Perca fluviatilis and Cyprinus carpio) were exposed to a mixture of these 13 pesticides, via multi-contaminated pellets, and then, eliminated. Compounds were measured in food, water and muscle tissue using multi-residues methods. Kinetics, biomagnification factors (BMFs) and half-lives (t1/2) were estimated and they did not show a large difference between the species. Muscular BMFs ranged from 2 × 10(-6) (mesosulfuron-methyl in perch) to 1 × 10(-3) (isoproturon and napropamid in perch) and t1/2 ranged from 0.8 (mesosulfuron-methyl in perch) to 40.3d (napropamid in carp). BMFs were also modeled as a function of Kow value. All BMF values were explained by the model, except for diflufenican which had a BMF lower than that expected by our modeling work, probably due to an efficient metabolism. Results led to the conclusion that none of these chemicals would probably be biomagnified within aquatic food webs., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Organochlorine pesticides (HCB, HCH with α-, β-, and γ isomers, heptachlor, cis-heptachlor epoxyde, trans-heptachlor epoxyde, endosulfan with α- and β isomers, sulfate endosulfan, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDD, chlorothalonil, alachlor, aldrin, dieldrin, methoxychlor, oxychlordane, chlordane with α- and γ isomers, p,p'-dicofol and o,p'-dicofol) and indicators PCBs (IUPAC nos. 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180) were studied both in sediments and muscles of farmed fish species (Cyprinus carpio and Perca fluviatilis). Samples were collected from fish ponds located in the hydrographic basin of the Moselle River (Lorraine Region, France). OCPs and PCBs were present at low concentrations both in sediments and fish muscles. Concerning sediments, ∑DDTs revealed concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 2.30 ng g(-1) dw and ∑PCBs ranged from 0.3 to 3.5 ng g(-1) dw. Concerning fish muscles, the highest concentrations in OCPs were those of p,p'-DDE, with average concentrations of 0.57±0.44 ng g(-1) ww for carp and 0.58±0.29 ng g(-1) ww for perch. The contamination profiles proved to be different depending on the fish species. Indeed, HCH-isomers, HCB, and dieldrin were detected only for the carp and always at low concentrations. For example, the highest concentration of HCHs was observed for β-HCH with a mean value of 0.64±0.15 ng g(-1) ww for carp. As for PCBs, the levels of ∑PCBs ranged from 0.3 to 6.4 ng g(-1) ww in carp muscles and from 0.90 to 5.60 ng g(-1) ww in perch muscles., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Copper, a priority substance on the EU-Water Framework Directive list, is widely used to protect grapevines against fungus diseases. Many vineyards being located on steep slopes, large amounts of Cu could be discharged in downstream systems by runoff water. The efficiency of stormwater detention basins to retain copper in a vineyard catchment was estimated. Suspended solids, dissolved (Cu(diss)) and total Cu (Cu(tot)) concentrations were monitored in runoff water, upstream, into and downstream from a detention pond. Mean Cu(tot) concentrations in entering water was 53.6 microg/L whereas it never exceeded 2.4 microg/L in seepage. Cu(tot) concentrations in basin water (>100 microg/L in 24% of the samples) exceeded LC(50) values for several aquatic animals. Copper was principally sequestered by reduced compounds in the basin sediments (2/3 of Cu(tot)). Metal sequestration was reversible since sediment resuspension resulted in Cu remobilization. Wind velocity controlled resuspension, explained 70% of Cu(diss) variability and could help predicting Cu mobilization., (Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

During a decade (1996-2006), ecotoxicological studies were carried out in biota of the Vaccarès Lagoon (Biosphere Reserve in Rhone Delta, France). A multicontamination was shown at all levels of the trophic web due to a direct bioconcentration of chemical from the medium combined with a food transfer. Here, the pollutants investigated were organochlorines, among which many compounds banned or in the course of prohibition (or restriction) (PCB, lindane, pp'-DDE, dieldrin, aldrin, heptachlor, endosulfan...) and some substances likely still used in the Rhone River basin (diuron, fipronil). The results confirmed the ubiquity of contamination. It proves to be chronic, variable and tends to regress; however contamination levels depend on the trophic compartment. A biomagnification process was showed. A comparison of investigation methods used in other Mediterranean wetlands provides basis of discussion, and demonstrates the urgent need of modelling to assess the ecotoxicological risk in order to improve the management of such protected areas.

Nitrogen and carbon stable isotope analyses are frequently used to assess contaminant biomagnification in animals in the wild. Previous studies, mainly on plant but also on animal tissues, have shown that chemical stress can lead to shifts in delta(15)N. In order to assess if an exposure to DDT at realistic concentration disrupted stable isotope signature in animals, delta(15)N and delta(13)C were studied in several tissues (liver, muscle, gill) of Perca fluviatilis fed with the same commercial diet uncontaminated or contaminated with DDT. We observed no DDT effect on the delta(15)N and delta(13)C of fish tissues. Our results show that stable isotopes can remain useful for field ecotoxicological studies despite food-chain contamination. However, correlations between the delta(13)C or delta(15)N values measured in the different organs were only found in DDT treated fish, suggesting some disruption of major biochemical compound metabolism in tissues.

In order to assess pollutant transfer in Camargue ponds from bordering agrosystems, a biomonitoring assay was conducted in irrigation and drainage channels of rice fields in the Rhone Delta (France). A filter-feeding bivalve, the Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, was used as bioindicator and caged in upstream and downstream channels of an area of conventional rice fields. After 6 weeks incubation, many lipophilic biocides were identified in Corbicula tissues, including pesticides used in rice plantations (pretilachlor, oxadiazon), pesticides presumed in use in the Rhone basin [diuron and its metabolite 3,4 dichloroaniline (3,4-DCA)] and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) banned for several decades. In addition, PCBs were highly bioaccumulated in Corbicula. Downstream bivalves had significantly lower concentrations of OCPs, PCB and 3,4-DCA. However, the exposure biomarkers (glutathione S-transferase, catalase and propionylcholinesterase) were not correlated with the decreased concentrations. The results of this experiment raise several questions concerning the potential role of immersed plants in a retention process.

Expansion of aquaculture has increased concern over its environmental impact. The composition of effluents from intensive aquaculture is well documented, but few data on extensive aquaculture are available. During 12 draining operations, 523 water samples were collected downstream from six extensively-managed fishponds in northeastern France. Study ponds had surface areas of 2-620 ha and were managed for production of Cyprinids and Percids. Concentrations of total suspended solids, total phosphorus, and Kjeldahl nitrogen in effluents from the ponds were greatest during the final stage of draining. Loads of phosphorus were higher than those reported for effluents of more intensive aquaculture ponds in the USA, but the source of the potential pollutants was catchments and sediment rather than feeds and fertilizer. It will be necessary to reduce the water drawdown rate during the fishing stage and possibly implement other best management practices to prevent the TSS concentration from exceeding 1 g/L.

A screening of relevant biomarkers was carried out in order to evaluate metabolic and cellular damages in European eels exposed to a non-point source contamination by persistent organic pollutants (POP) such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and organochlorine compounds (OC) in a protected area, the Nature Reserve of Camargue (France). Investigations were focused on metabolic responses including detoxification mechanisms (biotransformation, antioxidant process), energy requirements and enzymatic membrane markers either involved in neuronal conduction (acetylcholinesterase, AChE) or in osmoregulation and energy metabolism (ATPases). The hepatic and muscular glycogen rates seemed to be suitable biomarkers as well as three hepatic activities involved in the protection against oxyradicals: catalase, glutathione peroxidase (SeGPx) and superoxide dismutases (SOD). The muscle and gill ATPases as well as the muscle and brain AChE showed more significant relevance in terms of biomarkers than the biotransformation enzymes: ethoxyresorufine-O-deethylase (EROD) and uridine diphospho-glucuronyl transferase (UDPGT). However, most of these enzymatic activities depend on numerous abiotic factors, which must be taken into account in such a biomarker assessment approach. Our study provides some conclusive elements to approve the use in situ of biomarkers developed from laboratory studies. It also raises a question regarding the location of contaminant impregnation in fish organ, in relation with age, development status or mode of contamination, and its influence on biomarker response. If the relevance of membrane indicators is confirmed, this study provides an original statement of the extent of the ecotoxicological threat for the aquatic species in a protected area, due to the occurrence of POP in the cell membranes.

One application of genomics in drug safety assessment is the identification of biomarkers to predict compound toxicity before it is detected using traditional approaches, such as histopathology. However, many genomic approaches have failed to demonstrate superiority to traditional methods, have not been appropriately validated on external samples, or have been derived using small data sets, thus raising concerns of their general applicability. Using kidney gene expression profiles from male SD rats treated with 64 nephrotoxic or non-nephrotoxic compound treatments, a gene signature consisting of only 35 genes was derived to predict the future development of renal tubular degeneration weeks before it appears histologically following short-term test compound administration. By comparison, histopathology or clinical chemistry fails to predict the future development of tubular degeneration, thus demonstrating the enhanced sensitivity of gene expression relative to traditional approaches. In addition, the performance of the signature was validated on 21 independent compound treatments structurally distinct from the training set. The signature correctly predicted the ability of test compounds to induce tubular degeneration 76% of the time, far better than traditional approaches. This study demonstrates that genomic data can be more sensitive than traditional methods for the early prediction of compound-induced pathology in the kidney.