Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Cancer Med 2019 Apr 11. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California.

Background: Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy often complain of "chemobrain" or cognitive impairment, but mechanisms remain elusive.

Methods: A patient with gastric cancer developed delirium and hyperammonemia after chemotherapy with the 5-fluorouracil pro-drug capecitabine. Exome sequencing facilitated a search for mutations among 43 genes associated with hyperammonemia and affecting the urea cycle directly or indirectly. Read More

Poult Sci 2019 Apr 9. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, People's Republic of China.

Ammonia (NH3) is a harmful gas with irritating odor, and higher NH3 concentration was found in intensive poultry houses. Although the toxicity of NH3 is well known, little attention has been given to the mechanism of NH3 poisoning in chicken immune organs. To investigate NH3-caused inflammatory damage of broiler spleens, in this study, a broiler model for NH3 poisoning was established, and 3 levels (including microRNA [miRNA], mRNA, and protein) were performed using qRT-PCR and western blot. Read More

Molecules 2019 Apr 8;24(7). Epub 2019 Apr 8.

CEMHTI, CNRS (UPR 3079), Université d'Orléans, 45071 Orléans, France.

We have explored the simultaneous degradation of cyanides and thiocyanate present in wastewaters from a cokemaking factory using photoassisted methods under varied illumination conditions (from simulated solar light to UV light). Overall, the photochemical degradation of cyanides was more efficient than that of thiocyanates, regardless of the illumination conditions, the effect being more pronounced in the absence of a photocatalyst. This is due to their different degradation mechanism that in the case of thiocyanates is dominated by fast recombination reactions and/or charge transfer reactions to electron scavengers. Read More

Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2019 Apr 9. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

International Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sonepat, Haryana. India.

Bacterial ureases have been the cause of various human and animal pathogenicity including hepatic encephalopathy, hepatic coma urolithiasis, gastric and peptic ulcers, pyelonephritis, and urinary catheter encrustation by production of ammonia. Hence in view of the side effects of existing drugs, there is a strong need to discover, more safe, effective and potent compounds for treatment of infections caused by urease. For this purpose, several natural phenolic compounds have been screened by molecular modelling techniques. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Apr 1;672:275-282. Epub 2019 Apr 1.

Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia. Electronic address:

The nitrifying systems have been reported to be able to biodegrade micropollutants, yet it is still unclear about the cometabolism of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) towards micropollutants, in particular their enzyme and transcriptional responses under exposure of micropollutants. This study investigated cometabolic biodegradation of a selected antibiotic, cephalexin (CFX), by an enriched nitrifying culture through a series of batch experiments, together with the assessments of enzymatic activity, key gene expression, and biotoxicity of the degradation products. More than 99% CFX with an initial concentration of 50 μg/L could be removed with the presence of ammonium, while <44% of CFX removal was observed in the absence of ammonium, suggesting the cometabolic degradation of CFX by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Read More

J Ethnopharmacol 2019 Apr 4:111853. Epub 2019 Apr 4.

Department of Medicinal Natural Products, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No.17, Section 3, Renmin Nan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, 610041, China. Electronic address:

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Fritillariae Bulbus ("Beimu" in Chinese) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine used to treat cough, expectoration and asthma for more than 2000 years, which belongs to the Fritillaria genus in Liliaceae family. Bulbs of Fritillaria cirrhosa D.Don (BFC) and bulbs of Fritillaria pallidiflora Schrenk (BFP) are two important drugs of Beimu. Read More

Gene 2019 Apr 3;703:35-49. Epub 2019 Apr 3.

Biochemical Adaptation Laboratory, Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022, India. Electronic address:

The facultative air-breathing magur catfish (Clarias magur) frequently face different environmental challenges, such as hyper-ammonia, and desiccation stresses in their natural habitats. All these stresses lead to higher accumulation of body ammonia, thereby causing various harmful effects to the fish due to its toxicity. Nonetheless, the mechanisms underlying ammonia-induced toxicity is yet not clear. Read More

J Biomed Mater Res A 2019 Apr 3. Epub 2019 Apr 3.

Department of Chemical Engineering, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, P.O. Box 1651153311, Tehran, Iran.

On incidence of kidney failure, the concentration of urea increases and there is need for patients to visit the hospital all through the week for blood purification. However, current hemodialysis has been found to reduce only 66-75% urea in the blood of patients. The main goal of this article is to observe the effect of biocompatible and high mechanical hemodiafiltration in reducing urea and creatinine within the shortest time frame, using two methods of Nano electrospinning fiber (hybrid and coaxial). Read More

Molecules 2019 Mar 28;24(7). Epub 2019 Mar 28.

Department of Critical Care Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 81362, Taiwan.

(AC) is a rare and unique mushroom that is difficult to cultivate. Previous studies have demonstrated the bioactivity of the compound Ergosta-7,9(11),22-trien-3β-ol (EK100) from AC in submerged culture. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential beneficial effects of EK100 on fatigue and ergogenic functions following physiological challenge. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Jul 27;176:146-152. Epub 2019 Mar 27.

College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, PR China. Electronic address:

Ammonia (NH) is one of major air pollutants in intensive poultry houses, affecting chicken health. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a novel type of RNA that can regulate gene expression and be associated with various biological activities. However, the changes of circRNA caused by excess NH in chickens have not been investigated. Read More

Environ Int 2019 Mar 23;127:134-141. Epub 2019 Mar 23.

Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark.

Biosynthesis of n-caproate from waste streams rich in acetate and ethanol through chain elongation has offered a potentially sustainable way for future production of liquid biofuels. However, most of the waste streams that fit with the purpose (e.g. Read More

J Inherit Metab Dis 2019 Mar 25. Epub 2019 Mar 25.

Service of Clinical Chemistry, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

The urea cycle disorder (UCD) argininosuccinate lyase (ASL) deficiency, caused by a defective ASL enzyme, exhibits a wide range of phenotypes, from life-threatening neonatal hyperammonemia to asymptomatic patients, with only the biochemical marker argininosuccinic acid (ASA) elevated in body fluids. Remarkably, even without ever suffering from hyperammonemia, patients often develop severe cognitive impairment and seizures. The goal of this study was to understand the effect on the known toxic metabolite ASA and the assumed toxic metabolite guanidinosuccinic acid (GSA) on developing brain cells, and to evaluate the potential role of creatine (Cr) supplementation, as it was described protective for brain cells exposed to ammonia. Read More

Bioresour Technol 2019 Jul 14;283:168-173. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Bioresource Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Chemin Lakeshore, Montréal, Québec H9X3V9, Canada.

A 2nd degree mixture design was used to determine the optimal blend prepared from four wastewater streams to produce microalgae-based biomass. The streams consisted of a liquid digestate from an anaerobic digestion process, a landfill leachate, a septic-system sludge treatment plant liquid, and a wastewater treatment plant effluent. The mixture regression analysis indicated that blends with higher proportions of treated effluent and digestate improved cells growth, while the use of leachate was detrimental to the growth. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Mar 18;9(1):4801. Epub 2019 Mar 18.

Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.

Plants easily experience ammonia (NH) toxicity, especially aquatic plants. However, a unique wetland plant species, Myriophyllum aquaticum, can survive in livestock wastewater with more than 26 mM NH. In this study, the mechanisms of the M. Read More

Fish Shellfish Immunol 2019 May 16;88:528-539. Epub 2019 Mar 16.

Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Marine Fisheries Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266071, China. Electronic address:

The high concentration of ammonia resulting from intensive culture system and environmental pollution could cause disease occurrence in shrimp, but little information is available on its molecular mechanisms. In this study, we performed comparative transcriptome analysis among WSSV-infected shrimp under ammonia stress (LAV), WSSV-infected shrimp under normal water (LV), and normal shrimp under ammonia stress (LA) groups to identify the key genes and pathways involved in immunosuppression and increasing pathogen infection severity caused by ammonia toxicity in Litopenaeus vannamei. Totally, 526 significantly differential expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in LAV group compared to LV and LA groups, among which 270 genes were lost expressed and 67 genes uniquely expressed in the LAV group. Read More

J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl) 2019 Mar 12. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Prestage Department of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Comparative aspects of ammonia toxicity, specific to liver and skeletal muscle and skeletal muscle metabolism between avian and mammalian species are discussed in the context of models for liver disease and subsequent skeletal muscle wasting. The purpose of this review is to present species differences in ammonia metabolism and to specifically highlight observed differences in skeletal muscle response to excess ammonia in avian species. Ammonia, which is produced during protein catabolism and is an essential component of nucleic acid and protein biosynthesis, is detoxified mainly in the liver. Read More

Chem Biol Interact 2019 Mar 8;304:139-147. Epub 2019 Mar 8.

Department of Psychiatry (Neurochemical Research Unit), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Electronic address:

Phenelzine (β-phenylethylhydrazine) is a monoamine oxidase (MAO)-inhibiting antidepressant with anxiolytic properties. It possesses a number of important pharmacological properties which may alter the effects of oxidative stress. After conducting a comprehensive literature search, the authors of this review paper aim to provide an overview and discussion of the mechanisms by which phenelzine may attenuate oxidative stress. Read More

J Biomed Nanotechnol 2019 Apr;15(4):717-727

Colorectal cancer has become the third most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide, which has posed challenges to current conventional therapies. Hence, we propose an alternative approach to the existing therapeutics for colorectal cancer treatment. In this work, we prepared thermosensitive micelles based on poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(caprolactone)poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-PCL-PEG, PECE) copolymers (PAL-micelles) that were used to encapsulate phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) as an sustained drug delivery system. Read More

Int Microbiol 2019 Mar 12;22(1):155-167. Epub 2018 Nov 12.

Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology, Mahatma Gandhi Avenue, Durgapur, West Bengal, 713209, India.

Lindane contamination in different environmental compartments is still posing a serious threat to our environment and effective measures need to be taken for the detoxification of lindane. Soil bacteria isolated from agricultural fields are known to possess certain plant growth promoting traits like the production of phytohormones, production of ammonia, nitrogen fixation and solubilization of phosphorus, etc. In the present study, an indigenous bacterial strain Paracoccus sp. Read More

Waste Manag 2019 Feb 17;85:18-29. Epub 2018 Dec 17.

Environmenal and Water Resources Engineering Division, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600036, India. Electronic address:

The possibility of landfill leachate treatment in a coupled microwave-persulfate (MW-PS) system with and without pretreatment, i.e. coagulation-flocculation (C-F) was investigated. Read More

Environ Toxicol Chem 2019 Feb 20. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Environmental Laboratory, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, Mississippi 39180.

There are limited acute toxicity test methods for native North American marine species that are considered zooplankton for their entire lifecycle. Examples of standardized marine zooplankton methods include mussel, bivalve and echinoderm development tests that use a relatively short-lived planktonic larval stage, chronic lifecycle toxicity tests using epibenthic copepods, and a 24 h Acartia tonsa copepod test method. The objectives of the present study were to: (1) develop and evaluate a novel, 48 h acute toxicity test method using the marine, North American copepod Pseudodiaptomus pelagicus that is planktonic for its entire lifecycle; and (2) determine the sensitivity of P. Read More

J Environ Sci (China) 2019 May;79:364-366

Division of Analytical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2G3, Canada. Electronic address:

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2019 Apr 18;26(11):10826-10834. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

College of Geography and Environment, Collaborative Innovation Center of Human-Nature and Green Development in Universities of Shandong, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, People's Republic of China.

Fish are important in constructed wetland (CW) ecosystem. An 80-day experiment was conducted by exposing juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) to 0, 0.5, 2. Read More

Chemosphere 2019 May 12;223:157-164. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Instituto de Pesca - APTA- Secretaria da Agricultura e Abastecimento do Governo do Estado de São Paulo, Cananéia, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address:

Graphene oxide (GO) has been evaluated for application in environmental remediation and pollution control strategies. However, the side effects caused by the interactions of GO with classical pollutants in aquatic environments are still largely unknown. In this work, the ecotoxicological effects of GO, cadmium, zinc and the interactions between GO and these trace elements (co-exposure) were evaluated through acute toxicity tests and routine metabolism (i. Read More

J Environ Manage 2019 Apr 15;236:798-814. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Sustainable Industrials Systems, School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.

Consumers are the leading producers of food waste (FW) in developed countries and the majority of household FW is still embedded in general waste where it is incinerated or landfilled. There is increasing awareness in the value of collecting FW as a separate waste stream for production of compost or recovery of energy through anaerobic digestion (AD). This study focuses on AD to evaluate the life cycle environmental sustainability of recovering energy and fertilisers from household FW in the UK. Read More

Pharm Dev Technol 2019 Feb 18:1-33. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

c Department of Chemistry of Natural and Microbial Products , National Research Centre , Dokki , Cairo 12622 , Egypt .

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) is a member of family Apiaceae. Trans-anethole, the major component of Fennel essential oil (FEO), possesses antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects. Read More

Plants (Basel) 2019 Feb 14;8(2). Epub 2019 Feb 14.

ICAAM-Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal.

The aims of this study were to isolate, identify and characterize culturable endophytic bacteria from chickpea ( L.) roots grown in different soils. In addition, the effects of rhizobial inoculation, soil and stress on the functionality of those culturable endophytic bacterial communities were also investigated. Read More

Anticancer Agents Med Chem 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacotherapy and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Sofia, Dunav -2 Street, 1000 Sofia. Bulgaria.

Background: The accidental discovery of cisplatin's growth-inhibiting properties a few decades ago led to resurgence of interest in metal-based chemotherapeutics. A number of well-discussed factors such as severe systemic toxicity and unfavourable physicochemical properties further limit the clinical application of the platinating agents. Great efforts have been placed in the development of alternative platinum derivatives with an extended antitumor spectrum and amended toxicity profile as compared to the reference drug cisplatin. Read More

Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 2019 Apr 2;67:73-78. Epub 2019 Feb 2.

National Institute of Fisheries Science, West Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research & Devlopment Institute, Taean, 32132, Republic of Korea.

Juvenile Paralichthys olivaceus (mean length 7.29 ± 0.59 cm, mean weight 2. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Feb 3;653:698-704. Epub 2018 Nov 3.

Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) Edinburgh, Bush Estate, Penicuik EH26 0QB, UK.

Although it is generally accepted that δN in lichen reflects predominating N isotope sources in the environment, confirmation of the direct correlation between lichen δN and atmospheric δN is still missing, especially under field conditions with most confounding factors controlled. To fill this gap and investigate the response of lichens with different tolerance to atmospheric N deposition, thalli of the sensitive Evernia prunastri and the tolerant Xanthoria parietina were exposed for ten weeks to different forms and doses of N in a field manipulation experiment where confounding factors were minimized. During this period, several parameters, namely total N, δN and chlorophyll a fluorescence, were measured. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Apr 3;660:974-981. Epub 2019 Jan 3.

GEMMA - Environmental Engineering and Microbiology Research Group, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya·BarcelonaTech, c/ Jordi Girona 1-3, Building D1, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address:

Microalgal-based wastewater treatment plants are conceived as low cost and low energy consuming systems. The operation of these plants involves the management of primary sludge and microalgal biomass. The aim of this study is to analyse the anaerobic co-digestion of both by-products in terms of biogas production and contaminants of emerging concern removal. Read More

J Colloid Interface Sci 2019 Apr 28;541:425-433. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Centro de Estudos do Mar, Pontal do Paraná/PR - Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Brazil. Electronic address:

This paper reports the use of two layered hydroxide salts (LHS) (zinc hydroxide nitrate - ZHN - Zn(OH)(NO)·2HO, and zinc hydroxide chloride - ZHC - Zn(OH)Cl·HO) as catalysts for brilliant green (BG) organic dye bleaching, using hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. The LHS were prepared by precipitation reaction between an aqueous solution of zinc salts and an aqueous ammonia solution. The solids were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), ultraviolet-visible electronic spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Read More

Photosynth Res 2019 Jan 29. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Laboratório de Metabolismo de Plantas, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Av. Humberto Monte 2825, Campus do Pici, Bl. 907, CP 6020, Fortaleza, Ceará, CEP 60451-970, Brazil.

Mechanisms involving ammonium toxicity, excess light, and photosynthesis are scarcely known in plants. We tested the hypothesis that high NH supply in presence of high light decreases photosynthetic efficiency of rice plants, an allegedly tolerant species. Mature rice plants were previously supplied with 10 mM NH or 10 mM NO and subsequently exposed to 400 µmol m s (moderate light-ML) or 2000 µmol m s (high light-HL) for 8 h. Read More

Infect Immun 2019 Apr 25;87(4). Epub 2019 Mar 25.

Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

VacA is a secreted pore-forming toxin that induces cell vacuolation and contributes to the pathogenesis of gastric cancer and peptic ulcer disease. We observed that purified VacA has relatively little effect on the viability of AGS gastric epithelial cells, but the presence of exogenous weak bases such as ammonium chloride (NHCl) enhances the susceptibility of these cells to VacA-induced vacuolation and cell death. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that NHCl augments VacA toxicity by altering the intracellular trafficking of VacA or inhibiting intracellular VacA degradation. Read More

Environ Technol 2019 Jan 24:1-8. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

a College of Resources and Environment, Chengdu University of Information Technology , Chengdu , People's Republic of China.

A biosurfactant was harvested from anaerobically digested swine wastewater (ADSW) and employed to enhance ammonia removal in a comparative study using two multiple soil layer bioreactors (MSLs). Results showed that toxicity of the biosurfactant to microorganisms was negligible within the experimental concentration range. Optimal dose of the biosurfactant in MSLs to remove ammonia from ADSW was 0. Read More

Environ Toxicol Chem 2019 Apr 7;38(4):841-851. Epub 2019 Mar 7.

Supervising Scientist Branch, Department of the Environment and Energy, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Freshwater mussels play key roles in aquatic ecosystems, but are experiencing a global decline. Although studies have reported high acute sensitivity of mussels to some contaminants, chronic toxicity data are lacking for deriving high-reliability water quality guideline values. Ammonia is a contaminant of potential concern in some catchments of tropical northern Australia, where freshwater mussels are important ecological and cultural components. Read More

Dalton Trans 2019 Jan 23. Epub 2019 Jan 23.

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.

Four cobalt(iii) complexes of the general formula [Co(Schiff base)(L)2]+, where L is ammonia (NH3) or 3-fluorobenzylamine (3F-BnNH2), were synthesized. The complexes were characterized by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography. Their electrochemical properties, ligand substitution mechanisms, and ligand exchange rates in aqueous buffer were investigated. Read More

World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2019 Jan 21;35(2):26. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-8628, Japan.

The topics of Construction Biotechnology are the development of construction biomaterials and construction biotechnologies for soil biocementation, biogrouting, biodesaturation, bioaggregation and biocoating. There are known different biochemical types of these biotechnologies. The most popular construction biotechnology is based on precipitation of calcium carbonate initiated by enzymatic hydrolysis of urea which follows with release of ammonia and ammonium to environment. Read More

J Environ Sci (China) 2019 Apr 29;78:204-214. Epub 2018 Sep 29.

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA. Electronic address:

Chloramines, in practice, are formed onsite by adding ammonia to chlorinated drinking water to achieve the required disinfection. While regulated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are reduced during chloramine disinfection, other DBPs such as iodinated (iodo-) DBPs, that elicit greater toxicity are formed. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of prechlorination time on the formation of both halogen-specific total organic halogen (TOX) and iodo/chlorinated (chloro-) DBPs during prechlorination/chloramination in source waters (SWs) containing iopamidol, an X-ray contrast medium. Read More

Environ Monit Assess 2019 Jan 19;191(2):87. Epub 2019 Jan 19.

National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Regional Centre - Mumbai, Andheri (W), Mumbai, 400 053, India.

Veraval, one of Asia's largest fishing harbours, situated on the south-west coast of Gujarat, India, has transformed into an industrial hub dominated by fish processing units, rayon manufacturing industry, and transportation facilities. The study investigated the high abundance of Tetraspora gelatinosa along with the augmented level of ammonia in the harbour. The high concentration of ammonia was associated with the accumulation of sewage, industrial, and fishery wastes in the harbour. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Apr 16;171:665-676. Epub 2019 Jan 16.

Deakin University, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Geelong, Australia. Electronic address:

A key question to be asked when developing regional water quality criteria with scarce toxicity data is whether such data need to be locally derived. To address this, ammonia toxicity data from local aquatic species in the Liao River were compared against data from species native and non-native to China, based on comparisons of the overall trends of species sensitivity distributions and derived water quality criteria. Liao River data were acquired by acute and chronic tests using five local freshwater invertebrate species, and then compiled alongside published data from Chinese national guidelines and international literature. Read More

Recent Pat Biotechnol 2019 Jan 18. Epub 2019 Jan 18.

Nuclear Medicine Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad. Iran.

Background: The green synthesizing procedure of Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has been performed through the usage of a natural polysaccharide; Arabic gum (AG) as a stabilizing/capping agent. For characterization of AgNPs, TEM, particle size analyzer and UV-Vis were used.

Methods: The aim of our project was to identify biosynthesized AgNPs for sensing ammonia and to explore its toxicity on Neuro-2A cells. Read More

Nat Commun 2019 01 14;10(1):201. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Department of Cancer Cell Biology, Tianjin's Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, 300060, Tianjin, China.

Under hypoxia, most of glucose is converted to secretory lactate, which leads to the overuse of glutamine-carbon. However, under such a condition how glutamine nitrogen is disposed to avoid over-accumulating ammonia remains to be determined. Here we identify a metabolic flux of glutamine to secretory dihydroorotate, which is indispensable to glutamine-carbon metabolism under hypoxia. Read More

Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019 Jan 9. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.

Toxicity data for tropical species are often lacking for deriving water quality guidelines (WQGs) and for conducting ecological risk assessment (ERA). To protect and safeguard valuable natural resources and important biodiversity in tropical freshwater ecosystems, a sound framework should be established to assess and manage the ecological risk of an ever-increasing number of chemicals that occur in the tropics. The present study aims to provide a more up-to-date comparison of the species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) between temperate and tropical freshwater species, by incorporating more acute toxicity data that have been documented. Read More

Nanoscale 2019 Jan;11(4):1710-1719

MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science & Institute of Laser Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.

Microwave irradiation is a powerful non-invasive approach for treating deep-seated diseases in a clinical setting. Pulsed microwave-induced thermoacoustic cavitation allows precise cancer treatment with microwave-absorbing materials. This differs from the traditional continuous microwave-induced thermotherapy which may be harmful to off-target tissues. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019 01 5;1:CD011451. Epub 2019 Jan 5.

Iberoamerican Cochrane Network, Valencia, Venezuela.

Background: Hepatic encephalopathy is a common and devastating neuropsychiatric complication of acute liver failure or chronic liver disease. Ammonia content in the blood seems to play a role in the development of hepatic encephalopathy. Treatment for hepatic encephalopathy is complex. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Apr 31;171:162-172. Epub 2018 Dec 31.

São Paulo State University, São Vicente, SP, Brazil.

This study aimed to evaluate the sediment quality in a Ramsar site located in the Southeast Brazil, by using several lines of evidence (LOEs). Chemical and sedimentological analyses, ecotoxicological tests, and whole-sediment Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) were performed. The sediments were predominantly composed of fine sands and muds. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Apr 26;659:354-362. Epub 2018 Dec 26.

College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, PR China; Key Laboratory of the Provincial Education, Department of Heilongjiang for Common Animal Disease Prevention and Treatment, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, PR China. Electronic address:

Ammonia (NH) is a severe air pollutant and a component of haze (PM2.5). The respiratory tract is the first route of exogenous ammonia's entry into the human and animal body. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Apr 28;171:84-91. Epub 2018 Dec 28.

State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China.

In this study, we estimated the toxicity risks from river sediments that were affected by multiple pollutants in the Haihe River Basin. We used a range of methods to determine the concentrations, bioavailability, and toxicity of a range of metals and contaminants in sediments and sediment porewater and then assessed the ecological risks and toxicity using various multivariate statistical approaches. We found that more than 70% of the samples were toxic. Read More