Size dependent ingestion and effects of microplastics on survivability, hematology and intestinal histopathology of juvenile striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus).

Microplastic pollution is drastically increasing in aquatic ecosystems and it is assumed that different sizes of microplastics have diverse impacts on the physiology of aquatic organisms. Therefore, this study was intended to examine the ingestion and size specific effects of polyamide microplastic (PA-MP) on different physiological aspects such as growth, feed utilization, survivability, blood parameters and intestinal histopathology of juvenile striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus). In a 28-day exposure, the fish were fed with different sized PA-MP with a concentration of 500 mg per kg of feed in order to simulate highly microplastic contaminated environment. Three different treatments were set for this experiment i.e. T1, 25-50 µm (smaller microplastic); T2, 300 µm-2 mm (larger microplastic); T3, (mixed) including a control (C); each had three replicates. The highest ingestion was recorded in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of fish exposed to smaller PA-MP treatments (T1 followed by T3). The results also showed compromised weight gain (WG; g), specific growth rate (SGR; %/day) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) with the exposure of PA-MP. Besides, survivability significantly reduced among treatments with the ingestion of smaller sized microplastic and found lowest in T1 (65.0 ± 5.0). In addition, the presence of PA-MP in feed negatively affected the concentration of hemoglobin and blood glucose. Similarly, smaller PA-MP caused most erythrocytic cellular and nuclear abnormalities; found highest in T1 that significantly different from other treatments (p < 0.05). Various histopathological deformities were observed in fish fed with PA-MP incorporated feed. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the toxicity and stress imparted by smaller PA-MP affected the survivability and blood parameters where larger PA-MP caused mild to severe abnormalities. Based on eigenvector values, the major abnormalities in intestine included occurrence of epithelium columnar degeneration (ECD: 0.402; PC1), hyperplasia of internal mucosa (HISM: 0.411; PC1), beheading of villi (BV: 0.323; PC1), atrophy of mucosa (AM: 0.322; PC1), tiny vacuoles in apical villi (TV: 0.438. PC2), crypt degeneration (CD: 0.375: PC2) and atrophy of goblet cell (AGC: 0.375; PC2). Therefore, it has been speculated that the size based PA-MP ingestion in the GIT interfered with the digestion and absorption as well as caused deformities that reflected negatively in survivability and hemato-biochemical parameters of juvenile striped catfish.

Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) adsorbed to polyethylene microplastics: Accumulation and ecotoxicological effects in the clam Scrobicularia plana.

Microplastics are widespread in the marine environment, whereby the uptake of these tiny particles by organisms, can cause adverse biological responses. Plastic debris also act as a vector of many contaminants, herein depending on type, size, shape and chemical properties, possibly intensifying their effects on marine organisms. This study aimed to assess the accumulation and potential toxicity of different sizes of microplastics with and without adsorbed perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) in the clam Scrobicularia plana. Clams were exposed to low-density polyethylene microplastics (1 mg L-1) of two different sizes (4-6 and 20-25 µm) virgin and contaminated with PFOS (55.7 ± 5.3 and 46.1 ± 2.9 µg g-1 respectively) over 14 days. Microplastic ingestion, PFOS accumulation and filtration rate were determined along with a multi biomarker approach to assess the biological effects of microplastics ingestion. Biomarkers include oxidative stress (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidases), biotransformation enzymes (glutathione-S-transferases activity), neurotoxicity (acetylcholinesterase activity), oxidative damage and apoptosis. Microplastics ingestion and PFOS accumulation was microplastic size dependent but not PFOS dependent and filtration rate was reduced at the end of the exposure. Reactive oxygen species in gills and digestive gland were generated as a result of exposure to both types of microplastics, confirming the disturbance of the antioxidant system. Larger virgin microparticles lead to stronger impacts, when compared to smaller ones which was also supported by the Integrated Biomarker Responses index calculated for both tissues. An anti-apoptotic response was detected in digestive glands under exposure to any of the MPs treatments.

The possible use of combined electrical impedance and ultrasound velocity measurements for the non-invasive measurement of temperature during mild hyperthermia.

This paper explores the possibility of using combined measurements of electrical impedance and changes in ultrasound time of flight for determining deep body temperature during mild hyperthermia. Simultaneous electrical impedance spectra (1 kHz-1024 kHz) and ultrasound time-of-flight measurements were made on layered sheep liver and fat tissue samples as the temperature was increased from 30-50 °C. The change in propagation velocity for 100% fat and 100% liver samples was found to vary linearly with temperature and the temperature coefficient of the time-of-flight was shown to vary linearly with the % fat in the sample (0.009% °C-1%-1). Tetrapolar impedance measurements normalized to 8 kHz were shown to have a small sensitivity to temperature for both liver (0.001% °C-1 ≤ 45 °C) and fat (0.002% °C-1 ≤ 512 kHz) and the best linear correlation between the normalized impedance and the % fat in the sample was found at 256 kHz (gradient 0.026%-1, r2 = 0.65). A bootstrap analysis on 15 layered tissue samples evaluated using the normalized impedance at 256 kHz to determine the % fat in the sample and the temperature coefficient of the time of flight to determine the temperature. The results showed differences (including some large differences) between the predicted and measured temperatures and an error evaluation identified the possible origins of these.

The sensitivity of focused electrical impedance measurements.

One of the problems with tetrapolar impedance measurements is the lack of spatial sensitivity within the measured volume. In this paper we compare the sensitivity of tetrapolar measurements and the focused impedance measurements (FIM) proposed by Rabbani et al (1999 Ann. New York Acad. Sci. 873 408-20), which give an improved sensitivity profile. Using a previously validated model of sensitivity based on Geselowitz's lead theory, the sensitivity of FIM using eight, six and four electrodes was investigated. All electrode configurations showed a maximum in the average sensitivity of a plane at a depth of one-third of the drive-receive electrode spacing. No difference was found in the sensitivity value of this maximum between electrode configurations having the same drive-receive electrode spacing. The six- and eight-electrode configurations showed negative sensitivity regions down to half of the drive-receive electrode spacing, whilst the four-electrode measurement showed negative sensitivity regions down to one-third of the drive-receive electrode spacing. The single peak in sensitivity beneath the centre of the electrode configuration became dominant at 0.56, 1.4 and 0.14 of the receive electrode spacing for the eight-, six- and four-electrode configurations respectively. Thus, the four-electrode FIM configuration gives a single peak closest to the surface.