Environmental health of water bodies from a Brazilian Amazon Metropolis based on a conventional and metagenomic approach.

AIMS: The present study aimed to use a conventional and metagenomic approach to investigate the microbiological diversity of water bodies in a network of drainage channels and rivers located in the central area of the city of Belém, northern Brazil, which is considered one of the largest cities in the Brazilian Amazon. METHODS AND RESULTS: In eight of the analyzed points, both bacterial and viral microbiological indicators of environmental contamination-physical-chemical and metals-were assessed. The bacterial resistance genes, drug resistance mechanisms, and viral viability in the environment were also assessed. A total of 473 families of bacteria and 83 families of viruses were identified. Based on the analysis of metals, the levels of three metals (Cd, Fe, and Mn) were found to be above the recommended acceptable level by local legislation. The levels of the following three physicochemical parameters were also higher than recommended: biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. Sixty-three bacterial resistance genes that conferred resistance to 13 different classes of antimicrobials were identified. Further, five mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance were identified and viral viability in the environment was confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: Intense human actions combined with a lack of public policies and poor environmental education of the population cause environmental degradation, especially in water bodies. Thus, urgent interventions are warranted to restore the quality of this precious and scarce asset worldwide.

Aflatoxin levels and prevalence of TP53 aflatoxin-mutations in hepatocellular carcinomas in Mexico / Niveles de aflatoxina y prevalencia de mutaciones del gen TP53 por aflatoxina en carcinoma hepatocelular en México

Abstract: Objective: To determine the exposure to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in southern Mexico and the presence of the aflatoxin signature mutation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue from patients from a cancer referral center. Materials and methods: We estimated the prevalence and distribution of AFB1 in a representative sample of 100 women and men from Chiapas using the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2018-19. We also examined the presence of the aflatoxin signature mutation in codon 249 (R249S), and other relevant mutations of the TP53 gene in HCC tissue blocks from 24 women and 26 men treated in a national cancer referral center. Results: The prevalence of AFB1 in serum samples was 85.5% (95%CI 72.1-93.1) and the median AFB1 was 0.117 pg/µL (IQR, 0.050-0.350). We detected TP53 R249S in three of the 50 HCCs (6.0%) and observed four other G>T transversions potentially induced by AFB1. Conclusion: Our analysis provides evidence that AFB1 may have a relevant role on HCC etiology in Mexico.

Resumen: Objetivo: Determinar la exposición a aflatoxina_B1 (AFB1) en el sur de México y la presencia de la mutación característica de AFB1 en tejido de carcinoma hepatocelular (CHC) de pacientes de un centro oncológico. Material y métodos: Se estimó la prevalencia y distribución de AFB1 en una muestra representativa de 100 mujeres y hombres de Chiapas a partir de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición 2018-19. También se observó la presencia de la mutación característica de AFB1 en el codón 249 (R249S), y otras mutaciones relevantes del gen TP53 en bloques de tejido de CHC de 24 mujeres y 26 hombres estudiados en un centro de referencia nacional de oncología. Resultados: La prevalencia de AFB1 en las muestras de suero fue de 85.5% (IC95% 72.1-93.1) y la mediana de la concentración 0.117 pg/µL (IQR, 0.050-0.350). Se detectó TP53 R249S en tres de 50 casos de CHC (6.0%) y se observaron cuatro transversiones G>T potencialmente inducidas por AFB1. Conclusión: El presente análisis proporciona evidencia de que la AFB1 puede tener un papel relevante en la etiología del CHC en México.

Why Environmental Biomarkers Work: Transcriptome-Proteome Correlations and Modeling of Multistressor Experiments in the Marine Bacterium Trichodesmium.

Ocean microbial communities are important contributors to the global biogeochemical reactions that sustain life on Earth. The factors controlling these communities are being increasingly explored using metatranscriptomic and metaproteomic environmental biomarkers. Using published proteomes and transcriptomes from the abundant colony-forming cyanobacterium Trichodesmium (strain IMS101) grown under varying Fe and/or P limitation in low and high CO2, we observed robust correlations of stress-induced proteins and RNAs (i.e., involved in transport and homeostasis) that yield useful information on the nutrient status under low and/or high CO2. Conversely, transcriptional and translational correlations of many other central metabolism pathways exhibit broad discordance. A cellular RNA and protein production/degradation model demonstrates how biomolecules with small initial inventories, such as environmentally responsive proteins, achieve large increases in fold-change units as opposed to those with a higher basal expression and inventory such as metabolic systems. Microbial cells, due to their immersion in the environment, tend to show large adaptive responses in both RNA and protein that result in transcript-protein correlations. These observations and model results demonstrate multi-omic coherence for environmental biomarkers and provide the underlying mechanism for those observations, supporting the promise for global application in detecting responses to environmental stimuli in a changing ocean.

Elemental and Thermo-gravimetric Characterization of Trace Metals in Leaves and Soils as Bioindicators of Pollution in Kyiv City.

In this study, leaf and soil samples were used as bio-monitors for different alkali and heavy metals at six different locations in Kyiv city. Using x-y plots of the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) data measured the discrepancy level in elemental composition between the different investigated areas; the correlation between the concentrations in tree leaves and the samples from the surrounding soils were investigated. While the concentration of essential mineral elements and metals was found to be similar in several leaf and soil samples, in other samples, their concentration spread up to more than one order of magnitude. The concentration of metals was found to be higher in soil samples than in leaves. Thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) data helped to further characterize both types of samples. The metal removal during the incineration of the leaves was investigated by coupling a thermo-gravimetric analyzer to an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (TGA-ICP-OES). The release of Cd, K, Na, Pb, and Zn during incineration at temperatures up to 960 °C was online monitored, and some insights were drawn about the behavior of such metals and the chemistry involved in the volatilization process.

Dietary factors in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis: A comprehensive review.

BACKGROUND: Dietary intervention in multiple sclerosis carries potential therapeutic implications. While studies utilizing animal models of multiple sclerosis (MS) have demonstrated intriguing findings, well-designed clinical trials are few in number. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to review the animal model and clinical literature regarding dietary factors in experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) and MS. METHODS: This manuscript provides a comprehensive review of current animal model and clinical knowledge related to dietary factors in MS. RESULTS: While there is currently little data for any specific diet in MS, there is growing evidence that certain dietary factors may influence the disease. CONCLUSIONS: Definitive information regarding dietary factors as a modifiable risk factor in MS will require larger randomized clinical trials.

Environmental effects on the gills and blood of Oreochromis niloticus exposed to rivers of Bahia, Brazil.

Through the integration of chemical, biochemical and morphological analyses, this study investigated the effects of multiple pollutants on environmental biomarkers, such as gill histopathological changes and hematological and biochemical parameters, in Oreochromis niloticus exposed to four sites in the Jacuipe and Subaé rivers over seven days. Sediment analyses identified Sapelba as the most contaminated site, followed by Oliveira de Campinhos, Santo Amaro and Jacuípe. Water analyses revealed aluminum, iron and manganese at all sites. Aluminum and other metal were also detected in the gills of fishes. Fish exposed to the Sapelba site exhibited significant necrosis formation, as well as higher hematological parameters and trend to increase of cortisol levels. However, filament epithelium proliferation was higher at the Oliveira de Campinhos and Santo Amaro sites, at which the lowest levels of the hematological variables were observed. Multivariate analysis grouped some gill histopathological changes together, such as epithelial detachment with edema and lamellar epithelial proliferation with the lamellar fusion of adjacent filaments, revealing relationships among them. Positive associations were identified between sediment contamination and necrosis and cortisol, while water contamination was related with filament epithelium proliferation, aneurism, lamellar fusion and several hematological parameters. Furthermore, relationships between blood parameters and gill histopathological changes demonstrated a joint physiological response that may have resulted from environmental variables such as dissolved oxygen. The results exhibited the direct influence of xenobiotics on these biomarkers but also highlighted the need to consider the complexity of environmental factors to optimize the adoption of these environmental predictive tools.