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Microbial communities are known to play an important role in maintaining ecological balance and can be used as an indicator for assessing environmental pollution. Numerous studies have revealed that air pollution can alter the structure of microbial communities, which may increase health risks. Nevertheless, the relationships between microbial communities and particulate matter (PM) caused by air pollution in terms of health risk assessment are not well understood. This study aimed to validate the influences of PM chemical compositions on microbial communities and assess the associated health risks. Our results, based on similarity analysis, revealed that the stability structure of the microbial communities had a similarity greater than 73%. In addition, the altered richness and diversity of microbial communities were significantly associated with PM chemical compositions. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exerted a positive influence on microbial communities in different environmental variables. Additionally, a stronger linear correlation was observed between hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and the richness of microbial communities. All estimated health risks from PM chemical compositions, calculated under different environmental variables, significantly exceeded the acceptable level by a factor of more than 49. Cr and 1,2-Dibromoethane displayed dual adverse effects of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. Overall, the study provides insights into the fundamental mechanisms of the variability in microbial communities driven by PM, which may support the crucial role of PM chemical compositions in the risk of microorganisms in the atmospheric environment.

Flemingia philippinensis, a polyphenol-rich plant, holds potential for improving inflammation, but its mechanisms are not well understood. Therefore, this study employed network pharmacology and molecular docking to explore the mechanism by which Flemingia philippinensis ameliorates inflammation. In this study, 29 kinds of active ingredients were obtained via data mining. Five main active components were screened out for improving inflammation, which were flemichin D, naringenin, chrysophanol, genistein and orobol. In total, 52 core targets were identified, including AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2), serum albumin (ALB), and estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1). Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis identified 2331 entries related to biological processes, 98 entries associated with cellular components, and 203 entries linked to molecular functions. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis yielded 149 pathways, including those involved in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance, endocrine resistance, and the PI3K–Akt signaling pathway. Molecular docking results showed strong binding effects between the main active components and the core targets, with binding energies less than −5 kcal/mol. In summary, this study preliminarily elucidated the underlying mechanisms by which Flemingia philippinensis, through a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway approach, ameliorates inflammation. This provides a theoretical foundation for the subsequent application of Flemingia philippinensis in inflammation amelioration.

Gallic acid (GA) is a type of polyphenolic compound that can be found in a range of fruits, vegetables, and tea. Although it has been confirmed it improves non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), it is still unknown whether GA can improve the occurrence of NAFLD by increasing the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) accumulation and alleviating cholesterol metabolism disorders. Therefore, the present study explored the effect of GA on LDLR and its mechanism of action. The findings indicated that the increase in LDLR accumulation in HepG2 cells induced by GA was associated with the stimulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor–extracellular regulated protein kinase (EGFR-ERK1/2) signaling pathway. When the pathway was inhibited by EGFR mab cetuximab, it was observed that the activation of the EGFR-ERK1/2 signaling pathway induced by GA was also blocked. At the same time, the accumulation of LDLR protein and the uptake of LDL were also suppressed. Additionally, GA can also promote the accumulation of forkhead box O3 (FOXO3) and suppress the accumulation of hepatocyte nuclear factor-1α (HNF1α), leading to the inhibition of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) mRNA expression and protein accumulation. This ultimately results in increased LDLR protein accumulation and enhanced uptake of LDL in cells. In summary, the present study revealed the potential mechanism of GA’s role in ameliorating NAFLD, with a view of providing a theoretical basis for the dietary supplementation of GA.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as the main components of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs), are carcinogenic organic pollutants that occur widely in the atmospheric environment with increasing concentration. Moreover, PAHs are widespread all over the world due to their high volatility and long-range transport potential. The monitoring of atmospheric PAHs is often limited by working conditions, especially around oil field operation areas and other industrial areas. Mosses (Bryophyta), the most sensitive atmosphere pollution indicators, can be easily collected and have been used to monitor atmospheric pollutants including PAHs. Thus, characteristics and influencing factors of mosses’ absorption and accumulation of PAHs in the atmosphere were discussed, and the application of mosses in the biomonitoring of atmospheric PAHs were summarized. Biomonitoring mosses include Dicranum scoparium, Hypnum cupressiforme, Thamnobryum alopecurum, Thuidium tamariscinum, Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium scheberi, etc. Currently, the main methods for monitoring PAHs by mosses are biomonitoring with the chemical analysis method, the index of atmospheric purity (IAP) method, the ecological survey method, and the Moss-bag technique. Biomonitoring of atmospheric PAHs using mosses has a relatively wide range of prospects.

The CdSe nanorod as a one-dimensional nanostructure has an excellent performance in many fields, such as healthcare, new energy, and environmental protection. Thus, it is crucial to investigate its potential adverse health effects prior to their wide exposure. The lung tissue would be the main target organ after CdSe nanorods enter living systems. Here, we showed that pulmonary instillation of CdSe nanorods could decrease the vitality of T-SOD and T-AOC in lung tissues of a rat, increase MDA and hydroxyproline levels and lipid peroxidation products, induce mitochondrial cristae breakage and vacuolization, cause inflammatory responses, and finally induce pulmonary fibrosis. The oral administration of modified procyanidinere could significantly increase the content of antioxidant enzymes, scavenge free radicals, reduce lipid peroxidation, and have protective effects on CdSe nanorods-induced pulmonary fibrosis. The benefit is not only in the early inflammatory stage but also in the later stages of the CdSe nanorods-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Nanocolloids (Ncs) are highly dispersed mixtures of nanoscale (1–100 nm) heterogeneous systems, which are ubiquitous in aquatic environments. Ncs are considered a vital pollutant carrier due to their special surface properties and unique hydrodynamic characteristics. They play an essential role in the process of promoting pollutant migration and transformation. In recent years, with the increase in chemicals in the environment and the complexity of environmental pollution, the health threats of Ncs in ecological systems are arousing great concerning. Therefore, recent work to characterize the ecotoxicity of Ncs has focused on the potential environmental health implications, including exploration of toxicity to aquatic organisms from a wide range of the ecosystem food webs. Herein, we summarize the formation, distribution, and characterization of natural Ncs in the marine environments. Moreover, we highlight the adverse impacts of Ncs on representatives of various trophic levels aquatic organisms (e.g., algae, bacteria, invertebrates, and fish). The mechanisms of Ncs ecotoxicity at the cellular level are reviewed, and the remaining unclear points on toxic tools such as oxidative damage and metabolic disorder are presented. We also discuss the research challenges and future developments within the field of ecotoxicity. This study will bridge our knowledge gap on the ecotoxicity of Ncs.

Graphene family nanomaterials (GFNs), including graphene, graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and graphene quantum dots (GQDs), have manifold potential applications, leading to the possibility of their release into environments and the exposure to humans and other organisms. However, the genotoxicity of GFNs on DNA remains largely unknown. In this review, we highlight the interactions between DNA and GFNs and summarize the mechanisms of genotoxicity induced by GFNs. Generally, the genotoxicity can be sub-classified into direct genotoxicity and indirect genotoxicity. The direct genotoxicity (e.g., direct physical nucleus and DNA damage) and indirect genotoxicity mechanisms (e.g., physical destruction, oxidative stress, epigenetic toxicity, and DNA replication) of GFNs were summarized in the manuscript, respectively. Moreover, the influences factors, such as physicochemical properties, exposure dose, and time, on the genotoxicity of GFNs are also briefly discussed. Given the important role of genotoxicity in GFNs exposure risk assessment, future research should be conducted on the following: (1) developing reliable testing methods; (2) elucidating the response mechanisms associated with genotoxicity in depth; and (3) enriching the evaluation database regarding the type of GFNs, applied dosages, and exposure times.

The thorny issue of membrane biofouling in membrane bioreactors (MBR) calls for new effective control measures. Herein, D-amino acid (DAA) was employed to mediate MBR membrane biofouling by inhibiting biofilm information and disintegrating formed biofilm. Different DAA control ways involving membrane property, DAA-adding timing, and DAA-control mode were explored through experiments and the multiple linear regression model and the response surface methodology. The optimized DAA control ways were acquired, involving DAA used as an active agent, and the DAA-adding timing of 4 h cultured before running, as well as both hydrophilic and hydrophobic membrane, resulting in an approximately 40.24% decrease in the membrane biofouling rate in comparison with the conventional MBR. DAA is an efficient membrane biofouling mediating approach for MBR under optimized control ways combination and a facile solution for solving membrane biofouling in actual membrane systems.

Chromium (Cr) is one of the most severe heavy metal contaminants in soil, and it seriously threatens ecosystems and human health through the food chain. It is fundamental to collect toxicity data of Cr before developing soil quality criteria/standards in order to efficiently prevent health risks. In this work, the short-term toxic effects of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) on the root growth of eleven terrestrial plants were investigated. The corresponding fifth percentile hazardous concentrations (HC5) by the best fitting species sensitivity distribution (SSD) curves based on the tenth percentile effect concentrations (EC10) were determined to be 0.60 and 4.51 mg/kg for Cr (VI) and Cr (III), respectively. Compared to the screening level values worldwide, the HC5 values in this study were higher for Cr(VI) and lower for Cr(III) to some extent. The results provide useful toxicity data for deriving national or local soil quality criteria for trivalent and hexavalent Cr.

Decorative ornamental plants have been applied as hyperaccumulators/phytoremediators to a wide spectrum of heavy metal contaminants. In this study, pot culture experiments were conducted to investigate the Sn tolerance and accumulation in Impatiens balsamina L., Mirabilis jalapa L. and Tagetes erecta L., in order to assess the possibility of these three ornamental plants to be used as phytoremediators of Sn-contaminated soil. Results show that all three plants exhibited strong tolerance to Sn contamination, and no significant visual toxicity was observed for all three plants grown under most of the Sn treatments. The amount of Sn accumulated in the three plants was positively correlated with the Sn concentration in the soil. The order of the Sn accumulative capacity was Impatiens balsamina > Mirabilis jalapa > Tagetes erecta. Impatiens balsamina and Tagetes erecta showed a low translocation ability (TF) (Impatiens balsamina showed a relatively high bioconcentration factor (BCF, Sn concentration in each part > 100 mg/kg after Sn treatment of 500 mg/kg). Meanwhile, the TF of Mirabilis jalapa was >1, and the fluorescence accumulated the most Sn. In combination with the adaptation to high concentrations of various heavy metals, these three ornamental plants are potential candidates for Sn mining tailings or contaminated soil.

A high-efficiency method to deal with pollutants must be found because environmental problems are becoming more serious. Photocatalytic oxidation technology as the environmentally-friendly treatment method can completely oxidate organic pollutants into pollution-free small-molecule inorganic substances without causing secondary pollution. As a widely used photocatalyst, titanium dioxide (TiO2) can greatly improve the degradation efficiency of pollutants, but several problems are noted in its practical application. TiO2 modified by different materials has received extensive attention in the field of photocatalysis because of its excellent physical and chemical properties compared with pure TiO2. In this review, we discuss the use of different materials for TiO2 modification, highlighting recent developments in the synthesis and application of TiO2 composites using different materials. Materials discussed in the article can be divided into nonmetallic and metallic. Mechanisms of how to improve catalytic performance of TiO2 after modification are discussed, and the future development of modified TiO2 is prospected.

Blackleg, caused by Leptosphaeria maculans, is an important disease of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) in Canada and throughout the world. Severe epidemics of blackleg can result in significant yield losses. Understanding disease-yield relationships is a prerequisite for measuring the agronomic efficacy and economic benefits of control methods. Field experiments were conducted in 2013, 2014, and 2015 to determine the relationship between blackleg disease severity and yield in a susceptible cultivar and in moderately resistant to resistant canola hybrids. Disease severity was lower, and seed yield was 120%–128% greater, in the moderately resistant to resistant hybrids compared with the susceptible cultivar. Regression analysis showed that pod number and seed yield declined linearly as blackleg severity increased. Seed yield per plant decreased by 1.8 g for each unit increase in disease severity, corresponding to a decline in yield of 17.2% for each unit increase in disease severity. Pyraclostrobin fungicide reduced disease severity in all site-years and increased yield. These results show that the reduction of blackleg in canola crops substantially improves yields.

The electrical conductivity (EC) of soil is generally measured after soil extraction, so this method cannot represent the in situ EC of soil (e.g., EC of soils with different moisture contents) and therefore lacks comparability in some cases. Using a resistance measurement apparatus converted from a configuration of soil microbial fuel cell, the in situ soil EC was evaluated according to the Ohmic resistance (Rs) measured using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The EC of soils with moisture content from 9.1% to 37.5% was calculated according to Rs. A significant positive correlation (R2 = 0.896, p < 0.01) between the soil EC and the moisture content was observed, which demonstrated the feasibility of the approach. This new method can not only represent the actual soil EC, but also does not need any pretreatment. Thus it may be used widely in the measurement of the EC for soils and sediments.