The impact of anthropogenic inputs on lithium content in river and tap water

AbstractThe use of lithium (Li) has dramatically increased during the last two decades due to the proliferation of mobile electronic devices and the diversification of electric-powered vehicles. Lithium is also prescribed as a medication against bipolar disorder. While Li can exert a toxic effect on living organisms, few studies have investigated the impact of anthropogenic inputs on Li levels in the environment. Here we report Li concentrations and Li isotope compositions of river, waste and tap water, and industrial products from the metropolitan city of Seoul. Results show that the large increase in population density in Seoul is accompanied by a large enrichment in aqueous Li. Lithium isotopes evidence a major release from Li-rich materials. Water treatment protocols are also shown to be inefficient for Li. Our study therefore highlights the need for a global Li survey and adequate solutions for minimizing their impact on ecosystems and city dwellers.

Download Full-text

Anthropogenic lithium in river and tap water

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-1368 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jong-Sik Ryu ◽

Hye-Bin Choi ◽

Woo-Jin Shin ◽

Nathalie Vigier

Keyword(s):

Tap Water ◽

Electronic Devices ◽

Human Beings ◽

Industrial Products ◽

Treatment Protocols ◽

Anthropogenic Inputs ◽

Li Isotope ◽

Living Organisms ◽

The Impact ◽

Li Content

<p>During the last two decades, the use of lithium (Li) has dramatically increased due to the proliferation of mobile electronic devices and the diversification of electric-powered vehicles. While Li can exert a toxic effect on living organisms and human beings, few studies have investigated the impact of anthropogenic inputs on Li content in the environment. Here we report Li concentrations and Li isotope compositions of river, waste and tap water, and industrial products from the metropolitan city of Seoul. Results show that the large increase in population density in Seoul is accompanied by a large enrichment in riverine Li content and that Li isotopes evidence a major release from Li-rich industrial products. Water treatment protocols are also shown to be inefficient for Li. Our study therefore highlights the need for a global Li survey and adequate solutions for minimizing their impact on ecosystems and city dwellers.</p>

Download Full-text

F117EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF NON-RANDOM MATING: PSYCHIATRIC OUTCOMES AMONG THE OFFSPRING OF PAIRS DIAGNOSED WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AND BIPOLAR DISORDER

European Neuropsychopharmacology ◽

10.1016/j.euroneuro.2018.08.197 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

pp. S1173-S1174

Author(s):

James Crowley ◽

Ashley Nordsletten ◽

Gustaf Brander ◽

Patrick Sullivan ◽

Naomi Wray ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Random Mating ◽

Psychiatric Outcomes ◽

The Impact

Download Full-text

The Impact of Health Policies and Sociodemographic Factors on Doubling Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052354 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2354

Author(s):

Lina Díaz-Castro ◽

Héctor Cabello-Rangel ◽

Kurt Hoffman

Keyword(s):

Population Density ◽

Doubling Time ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Health Policies ◽

Government Response ◽

University Of Oxford ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Population Sizes ◽

The University ◽

The Impact

Background. The doubling time is the best indicator of the course of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the present investigation was to determine the impact of policies and several sociodemographic factors on the COVID-19 doubling time in Mexico. Methods. A retrospective longitudinal study was carried out across March–August, 2020. Policies issued by each of the 32 Mexican states during each week of this period were classified according to the University of Oxford Coronavirus Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT), and the doubling time of COVID-19 cases was calculated. Additionally, variables such as population size and density, poverty and mobility were included. A panel data model was applied to measure the effect of these variables on doubling time. Results. States with larger population sizes issued a larger number of policies. Delay in the issuance of policies was associated with accelerated propagation. The policy index (coefficient 0.60, p < 0.01) and the income per capita (coefficient 3.36, p < 0.01) had a positive effect on doubling time; by contrast, the population density (coefficient −0.012, p < 0.05), the mobility in parks (coefficient −1.10, p < 0.01) and the residential mobility (coefficient −4.14, p < 0.01) had a negative effect. Conclusions. Health policies had an effect on slowing the pandemic’s propagation, but population density and mobility played a fundamental role. Therefore, it is necessary to implement policies that consider these variables.

Download Full-text

Polyphenol Profiling of Chestnut Pericarp, Integument and Curing Water Extracts to Qualify These Food By-Products as a Source of Antioxidants

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26082335 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (8) ◽

pp. 2335

Author(s):

Gabriella Pinto ◽

Sabrina De Pascale ◽

Maria Aponte ◽

Andrea Scaloni ◽

Francesco Addeo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Tap Water ◽

Time Of Flight ◽

The Other ◽

Curing Process ◽

Flight Mass Spectrometry ◽

Water Curing ◽

The Impact ◽

By Products

Plant polyphenols have beneficial antioxidant effects on human health; practices aimed at preserving their content in foods and/or reusing food by-products are encouraged. The impact of the traditional practice of the water curing procedure of chestnuts, which prevents insect/mould damage during storage, was studied to assess the release of polyphenols from the fruit. Metabolites extracted from pericarp and integument tissues or released in the medium from the water curing process were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and electrospray-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (ESI-qTOF-MS). This identified: (i) condensed and hydrolyzable tannins made of (epi)catechin (procyanidins) and acid ellagic units in pericarp tissues; (ii) polyphenols made of gallocatechin and catechin units condensed with gallate (prodelphinidins) in integument counterparts; (iii) metabolites resembling those reported above in the wastewater from the chestnut curing process. Comparative experiments were also performed on aqueous media recovered from fruits treated with processes involving: (i) tap water; (ii) tap water containing an antifungal Lb. pentosus strain; (iii) wastewater from a previous curing treatment. These analyses indicated that the former treatment determines a 6–7-fold higher release of polyphenols in the curing water with respect to the other ones. This event has a negative impact on the luster of treated fruits but qualifies the corresponding wastes as a source of antioxidants. Such a phenomenon does not occur in wastewater from the other curing processes, where the release of polyphenols was reduced, thus preserving the chestnut’s appearance. Polyphenol profiling measurements demonstrated that bacterial presence in water hampered the release of pericarp metabolites. This study provides a rationale to traditional processing practices on fruit appearance and qualifies the corresponding wastes as a source of bioactive compounds for other nutraceutical applications.

Download Full-text

Does Infection Site Matter? A Systematic Review of Infection Site Mortality in Sepsis

Journal of Intensive Care Medicine ◽

10.1177/0885066615627778 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 (8) ◽

pp. 473-479 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Christine A. Motzkus ◽

Roger Luckmann

Keyword(s):

Hospital Mortality ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Source Control ◽

Soft Tissue Infections ◽

Infection Site ◽

Treatment Protocols ◽

Disease States ◽

Pubmed Database ◽

The Impact ◽

Lower Mortality Risk

Purpose: Sepsis treatment protocols emphasize source control with empiric antibiotics and fluid resuscitation. Previous reviews have examined the impact of infection site and specific pathogens on mortality from sepsis; however, no recent review has addressed the infection site. This review focuses on the impact of infection site on hospital mortality among patients with sepsis. Methods: The PubMed database was searched for articles from 2001 to 2014. Studies were eligible if they included (1) one or more statistical models with hospital mortality as the outcome and considered infection site for inclusion in the model and (2) adult patients with sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock. Data abstracted included stage of sepsis, infection site, and raw and adjusted effect estimates. Nineteen studies were included. Infection sites most studied included respiratory (n = 19), abdominal (n = 19), genitourinary (n = 18), and skin and soft tissue infections (n = 11). Several studies found a statistically significant lower mortality risk for genitourinary infections on hospital mortality when compared to respiratory infections. Conclusion: Based on studies included in this review, the impact of infection site in patients with sepsis on hospital mortality could not be reliably estimated. Misclassification among infections and disease states remains a serious possibility in studies on this topic.

Download Full-text

Research on the Economic Development Threshold Effect of the Employment Density of the Shanghai Consumer Goods Industry in the Context of New Manufacturing, Based on the Experience Comparison with International Metropolis

Mathematics ◽

10.3390/math9090969 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 969

Author(s):

Lei Shen ◽

Xi Zhang ◽

Hongda Liu ◽

Pinbo Yao

Keyword(s):

Economic Development ◽

Population Density ◽

Consumer Goods ◽

Inflection Point ◽

Growth Potential ◽

Positive Trend ◽

Employment Density ◽

Consumer Goods Industry ◽

The Impact ◽

Development Threshold

With the rise of a new generation of technology and industrial changes, the service-oriented manufacturing industry has become the direction of future development. With the background of new manufacturing, this paper constructs an economic development threshold model of employment density of consumer goods industry based on data from Shanghai and Tokyo from 2007 to 2016, and empirically analyzes the impact of the employment density of the consumer goods industry on urban economic development under different population densities. At the same time, by comparing the experience of Tokyo, the development status and prospects of Shanghai’s consumer goods industry are explored. The study found that the threshold of Tokyo’s consumer goods industry is 0.608. When population density is lower than this threshold, the consumer goods industry continues to promote the economic development of Tokyo; however, when the population density is higher than this threshold, the consumer goods industry begins to inhibit the economic development of Tokyo. The Shanghai consumer goods industry threshold is 0.329. Under the threshold, most of the consumer goods industry contributions to the economy are negative, but above the threshold, they begin to show a positive trend. The inflection point of the effect curve of Tokyo’s consumer goods industry on economic development has appeared, but the inflection point of Shanghai’s consumer goods industry has not yet appeared. Compared with Tokyo, the economic vitality of Shanghai’s consumer goods industry has not yet been fully released. With the continued increase of population density in Shanghai, the growth potential of the consumer goods industry is huge, and it is expected to reshape the flourishing age of Shanghai’s light industry brand.

Download Full-text

Photocatalytic Degradation of Sulfolane Using a LED-Based Photocatalytic Treatment System

Catalysts ◽

10.3390/catal11050624 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 624

Author(s):

Sripriya Dharwadkar ◽

Linlong Yu ◽

Gopal Achari

Keyword(s):

Photocatalytic Degradation ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Light Emitting Diode ◽

Tap Water ◽

Aqueous Media ◽

Ultrapure Water ◽

Light Emitting ◽

Degradation Rates ◽

Reduced Graphene ◽

The Impact

Sulfolane is an emerging industrial pollutant detected in the environments near many oil and gas plants in North America. So far, numerous advanced oxidation processes have been investigated to treat sulfolane in aqueous media. However, there is only a few papers that discuss the degradation of sulfolane using photocatalysis. In this study, photocatalytic degradation of sulfolane using titanium dioxide (TiO2) and reduced graphene oxide TiO2 composite (RGO-TiO2) in a light-emitting diode (LED) photoreactor was investigated. The impact of different waters (ultrapure water, tap water, and groundwater) and type of irradiation (UVA-LED and mercury lamp) on photocatalytic degradation of sulfolane were also studied. In addition, a reusability test was conducted for the photocatalyst to examine the degradation of sulfolane in three consecutive cycles with new batches of sulfolane-contaminated water. The results show that LED-based photocatalysis was effective in degrading sulfolane in waters even after three photocatalytic cycles. UVA-LEDs displayed more efficient use of photon energy when compared with the mercury lamps as they have a narrow emission spectrum coinciding with the absorption of TiO2. The combination of UVA-LED and TiO2 yielded better performance than UVA-LED and RGO-TiO2 for the degradation of sulfolane. Much lower sulfolane degradation rates were observed in tap water and groundwater than ultrapure water.

Download Full-text

Changes Caused by Low Doses of Bisphenol A (BPA) in the Neuro-Chemistry of Nerves Located in the Porcine Heart

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11030780 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 780

Author(s):

Krystyna Makowska ◽

Slawomir Gonkowski

Keyword(s):

Bisphenol A ◽

Endocrine Disruptor ◽

Sympathetic Innervation ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Everyday Objects ◽

Living Organisms ◽

The Impact ◽

Heart Wall ◽

Cholinergic Structures

Bisphenol A (BPA) contained in plastics used in the production of various everyday objects may leach from these items and contaminate food, water and air. As an endocrine disruptor, BPA negatively affects many internal organs and systems. Exposure to BPA also contributes to heart and cardiovascular system dysfunction, but many aspects connected with this activity remain unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of BPA in a dose of 0.05 mg/kg body weight/day (in many countries such a dose is regarded as a tolerable daily intake–TDI dose of BPA–completely safe for living organisms) on the neurochemical characterization of nerves located in the heart wall using the immunofluorescence technique. The obtained results indicate that BPA (even in such a relatively low dose) increases the number of nerves immunoreactive to neuropeptide Y, substance P and tyrosine hydroxylase (used here as a marker of sympathetic innervation). However, BPA did not change the number of nerves immunoreactive to vesicular acetylcholine transporter (used here as a marker of cholinergic structures). These observations suggest that changes in the heart innervation may be at the root of BPA-induced circulatory disturbances, as well as arrhythmogenic and/or proinflammatory effects of this endocrine disruptor. Moreover, changes in the neurochemical characterization of nerves in the heart wall may be the first sign of exposure to BPA.

Download Full-text

Management of colorectal cancer in the era of COVID-19: Challenges and suggestions

Science Progress ◽

10.1177/00368504211010626 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 104 (2) ◽

pp. 003685042110106

Author(s):

Walid Alam ◽

Youssef Bouferraa ◽

Yolla Haibe ◽

Deborah Mukherji ◽

Ali Shamseddine

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Treatment Protocols ◽

Cancer Management ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Huge Impact ◽

Treatment Plans ◽

Virus Exposure ◽

Risk Of Exposure ◽

Colorectal Cancer Patients ◽

The Impact

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had a huge impact on all sectors around the world. In particular, the healthcare system has been subject to an enormous pressure that has surpassed its ability in many instances. Additionally, the pandemic has called for a review of our daily medical practices, including our approach to colorectal cancer management where treatment puts patients at high risk of virus exposure. Given their higher median age, patients are at an increased risk for severe symptoms and complications in cases of infection, especially in the setting of immunosuppression. Therefore, a review of the routine colorectal cancer practices is needed to minimize risk of exposure. Oncologists should weigh risk of exposure versus the patient’s oncologic benefits when approaching management. In addition, treatment protocols should be modified to minimize hospital visits and admissions while maintaining the same treatment efficacy. In this review, we will focus on challenges that colorectal cancer patients face during the pandemic, while highlighting the priority in each case. We will also discuss the evidence for potential modifications to existing treatment plans that could reduce infectious exposure without compromising care. Finally, we will discuss the impact of the socio-economic difficulties faced by Lebanese patients due to a poor economy toppled by an unexpected pandemic.

Download Full-text

Understanding drivers of wild oyster population persistence

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-87418-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mickael Teixeira Alves ◽

Nick G. H. Taylor ◽

Hannah J. Tidbury

Keyword(s):

Population Density ◽

Carrying Capacity ◽

Pacific Oyster ◽

Wild Population ◽

Population Persistence ◽

Oyster Reefs ◽

Oyster Population ◽

Northern European ◽

Age Structured ◽

The Impact

AbstractPersistence of wild Pacific oyster, Magallana gigas, also known as Crassostrea gigas, has been increasingly reported across Northern European waters in recent years. While reproduction is inhibited by cold waters, recent warm summer temperature has increased the frequency of spawning events. Although correlation between the increasing abundance of Pacific oyster reefs in Northern European waters and climate change is documented, persistence of wild populations may also be influenced by external recruitment from farmed populations and other wild oyster populations, as well as on competition for resources with aquaculture sites. Our understanding of the combined impact of the spawning frequency, external recruitment, and competition on wild population persistence is limited. This study applied an age-structured model, based on ordinary differential equations, to describe an oyster population under discrete temperature-related dynamics. The impact of more frequent spawning events, external recruitment, and changes in carrying capacity on Pacific oyster density were simulated and compared under theoretical scenarios and two case studies in Southern England. Results indicate that long term persistence of wild oyster populations towards carrying capacity requires a high frequency of spawning events but that in the absence of spawning, external recruitment from farmed populations and other wild oyster populations may act to prevent extinction and increase population density. However, external recruitment sources may be in competition with the wild population so that external recruitment is associated with a reduction in wild population density. The implications of model results are discussed in the context of wild oyster population management.

Download Full-text