Pharmaceuticals in Environment

2019 ◽  
pp. 270-296
Author(s):  
Alka Bali
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Personal Care ◽  
Terrestrial Environments ◽  
Regulatory Bodies ◽  
Pharmaceutical Practice ◽  
Soil And Water

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) constitute an integral part of modern healthcare systems which enter the environment through various routes. Because of their inherent biological activity, their presence in soil and the aquatic environment poses several eco-toxicological problems. Antibiotic contamination of soil and water bodies is leading to the development of microbial resistance to antibiotics and this has been recognized by several global bodies like WHO and EPA. Effective steps need to be taken in this regard including increased awareness, reduced pharmaceutical discharges in environment, green and sustainable pharmaceutical practice by pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals and improved remediation/bioremediation methods. This chapter outlines the various anticipated routes of exposure of pharmaceuticals to the environment along with their detrimental effects, fate and degradation in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The chapter also dwells upon the role of various regulatory bodies and plausible measures that may be adopted to alleviate the problem.

Shrinking water bodies as hotspots of sand and dust storms: The role of land degradation and sustainable soil and water management

CATENA ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 207 ◽  
pp. 105669
Author(s):  
Claudio Zucca ◽  
Nick Middleton ◽  
Utchang Kang ◽  
Hanspeter Liniger
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Soil And Water

scholarly journals Potentially Toxic Substances and Associated Risks in Soils Affected by Wildfires: A Review

Toxics ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Maria Luisa Fernandez-Marcos
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Soil Organisms ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Total Concentrations ◽  
Soil And Water

The presence of toxic substances is one of the major causes of degradation of soil quality. Wildfires, besides affecting various chemical, physical, and biological soil properties, produce a mixture of potentially toxic substances which can reach the soil and water bodies and cause harm to these media. This review intends to summarise the current knowledge on the generation by wildfires of potentially toxic substances, their effects on soil organisms, and other associated risks, addressing the effects of fire on metal mobilisation, the pyrolytic production of potentially toxic compounds, and the detoxifying effect of charcoal. Numerous studies ascertained inhibitory effects of ash on seed germination and seedling growth as well as its toxicity to soil and aquatic organisms. Abundant publications addressed the mobilisation of heavy metals and trace elements by fire, including analyses of total concentrations, speciation, availability, and risk of exportation to water bodies. Many publications studied the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and other organic pollutants in soils after fire, their composition, decline over time, the risk of contamination of surface and ground waters, and their toxicity to plants, soil, and water organisms. Finally, the review addresses the possible detoxifying role of charcoal in soils affected by fire.

Managing Landscape Irrigation to Avoid Soil and Nutrient Losses

EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
George Hochmuth ◽  
Laurie Trenholm ◽  
Don Rainey ◽  
Esen Momol ◽  
Claire Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Environment ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Nutrient Losses ◽  
County Agents ◽  
The Right ◽  
Soil And Water

Proper irrigation management is critical to conserve and protect water resources and to properly manage nutrients in the home landscape. How lawns and landscapes are irrigated directly impacts the natural environment, so landscape maintenance professionals and homeowners must adopt environmentally-friendly approaches to irrigation management. After selecting the right plant for the right place, water is the next critical factor to establish and maintain a healthy lawn and landscape. Fertilization is another important component of lawn and landscape maintenance, and irrigation must be applied correctly, especially following fertilization, to minimize potential nutrient losses. This publication supplements other UF/IFAS Extension publications that also include information on the role of soil and the root zone in irrigation management. This publication is designed to help UF/IFAS Extension county agents prepare materials to directly address nutrient losses from lawns and landscapes caused by inadequate irrigation management practices. This 6-page fact sheet was written by George Hochmuth, Laurie Trenholm, Don Rainey, Esen Momol, Claire Lewis, and Brian Niemann, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, October 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss586

Biological activity of novel thyroid hormone analogues: role of Na+ taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide in liver selectivity

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Brigante ◽  
Bo Carlsson ◽  
Simone Kersseboom ◽  
Robin P Peeters ◽  
Theo J Visser
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
Thyroid Hormone

scholarly journals Afro-Communitarianism and the Role of Traditional African Healers in the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luís Cordeiro-Rodrigues ◽  
Thaddeus Metz
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Capital ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
The Face

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant challenges to healthcare systems worldwide, and in Africa, given the lack of resources, they are likely to be even more acute. The usefulness of Traditional African Healers in helping to mitigate the effects of pandemic has been neglected. We argue from an ethical perspective that these healers can and should have an important role in informing and guiding local communities in Africa on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Particularly, we argue not only that much of the philosophy underlying Traditional African Medicine is adequate and compatible with preventive measures for COVID-19, but also that Traditional African Healers have some unique cultural capital for influencing and enforcing such preventive measures. The paper therefore suggests that not only given the cultural context of Africa where Traditional African Healers have a special role, but also because of the normative strength of the Afro-communitarian philosophy that informs it, there are good ethical reasons to endorse policies that involve Traditional Healers in the fight against COVID-19. We also maintain that concerns about Traditional African Healers objectionably violating patient confidentiality or being paternalistic are much weaker in the face of COVID-19.

scholarly journals Studies on the Role of Methylated Bases in the Biological Activity of Soluble Ribonucleic Acid

1964 ◽  
Vol 239 (9) ◽  
pp. 2918-2926
Author(s):  
Alan Peterkofsky ◽  
Celia Jesensky ◽  
Arthur Bank ◽  
Alan H. Mehler
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
Ribonucleic Acid

scholarly journals Transcriptome Reveals Roles of Lignin-Modifying Enzymes and Abscisic Acid in the Symbiosis of Mycena and Gastrodia elata

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 6557
Author(s):  
Li-Ying Ren ◽  
Heng Zhao ◽  
Xiao-Ling Liu ◽  
Tong-Kai Zong ◽  
Min Qiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
Abscisic Acid ◽  
Lignin Degradation ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Receptor Protein ◽  
Gastrodia Elata ◽  
Upregulated Genes ◽  
Aba Biosynthesis ◽  
Seed Coats

Gastrodia elata is a well-known medicinal and heterotrophic orchid. Its germination, limited by the impermeability of seed coat lignin and inhibition by abscisic acid (ABA), is triggered by symbiosis with fungi such as Mycena spp. However, the molecular mechanisms of lignin degradation by Mycena and ABA biosynthesis and signaling in G. elata remain unclear. In order to gain insights into these two processes, this study analyzed the transcriptomes of these organisms during their dynamic symbiosis. Among the 25 lignin-modifying enzyme genes in Mycena, two ligninolytic class II peroxidases and two laccases were significantly upregulated, most likely enabling Mycena hyphae to break through the lignin seed coats of G. elata. Genes related to reduced virulence and loss of pathogenicity in Mycena accounted for more than half of annotated genes, presumably contributing to symbiosis. After coculture, upregulated genes outnumbered downregulated genes in G. elata seeds, suggesting slightly increased biological activity, while Mycena hyphae had fewer upregulated than downregulated genes, indicating decreased biological activity. ABA biosynthesis in G. elata was reduced by the downregulated expression of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED-2), and ABA signaling was blocked by the downregulated expression of a receptor protein (PYL12-like). This is the first report to describe the role of NCED-2 and PYL12-like in breaking G. elata seed dormancy by reducing the synthesis and blocking the signaling of the germination inhibitor ABA. This study provides a theoretical basis for screening germination fungi to identify effective symbionts and for reducing ABA inhibition of G. elata seed germination.

scholarly journals Tackling the challenges of nanomedicines: are we ready?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B Hertig ◽  
Vinod P Shah ◽  
Beat Flühmann ◽  
Stefan Mühlebach ◽  
Gunar Stemer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Complex Nature ◽  
Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽  
Patient Benefit ◽  
World Congress ◽  
Clinical Safety ◽  
Hospital Pharmacists ◽  
Drug Products ◽  
Regulatory Bodies ◽  
Regulatory Landscape

Abstract Purpose This review provides an overview of the proceedings of the symposium “Tackling the Challenges of Nanomedicines: Are We Ready?” organized by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Hospital Pharmacy Section and Non-Biological Complex Drugs (NBCDs) Working Group at the 2019 FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Debate centered on reasons underlying the current complex regulatory landscape for nanomedicines and their follow-on products (referred to as nanosimilars) and the pivotal role of hospital pharmacists in selecting, handling, and guiding usage of nanomedicines and nanosimilars. Summary The evaluation and use of nanomedicines are recognized among scientific, pharmaceutical, and regulatory bodies as complex. Interchangeability and substitutability of nanomedicines and nanosimilars are confounded by a lack of pharmaceutical and pharmacological equivalence, reflecting the inherent complex nature of these drug products and manufacturing processes. Consequences include implications for clinical safety and efficacy and, ultimately, comparability. Local regulatory approvals of some nanomedicines have occurred, but there is no standard to ensure streamlined evaluation and use of consistent measures of therapeutic equivalence of reference products and their nanosimilars. Hospital pharmacists are expected to be experts in the selection, handling, and substitution of nanomedicines and familiarize themselves with the limitations of current methods of assessing pharmaceutical and clinical equivalence of nanosimilars in order to ensure informed formulary decision-making and eventual patient benefit. Conclusion Supportive guidance for pharmacists focusing on the substitutability and/or interchangeability of nanomedicines and their nanosimilars is needed. Current FIP guidance for pharmacists on therapeutic interchange and substitution should be extended to include nanomedicines and nanosimilars.

scholarly journals Differential Role of Threonine and Tyrosine Phosphorylation in the Activation and Activity of the Yeast MAPK Slt2

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1110
Author(s):  
Gema González-Rubio ◽  
Ángela Sellers-Moya ◽  
Humberto Martín ◽  
María Molina
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Biological Activity ◽  
Biological Significance ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Activation Loop ◽  
High Increase ◽  
Dual Specificity ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Full Activation

The Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) Slt2 is central to signaling through the yeast Cell Wall Integrity (CWI) pathway. MAPKs are regulated by phosphorylation at both the threonine and tyrosine of the conserved TXY motif within the activation loop (T190/Y192 in Slt2). Since phosphorylation at both sites results in the full activation of MAPKs, signaling through MAPK pathways is monitored with antibodies that detect dually phosphorylated forms. However, most of these antibodies also recognize monophosphorylated species, whose relative abundance and functionality are diverse. By using different phosphospecific antibodies and phosphate-affinity (Phos-tag) analysis on distinct Slt2 mutants, we determined that Y192- and T190-monophosphorylated species coexist with biphosphorylated Slt2, although most of the Slt2 pool remains unphosphorylated following stress. Among the monophosphorylated forms, only T190 exhibited biological activity. Upon stimulation, Slt2 is first phosphorylated at Y192, mainly by the MAPKK Mkk1, and this phosphorylation is important for the subsequent T190 phosphorylation. Similarly, dephosphorylation of Slt2 by the Dual Specificity Phosphatase (DSP) Msg5 is ordered, with dephosphorylation of T190 depending on previous Y192 dephosphorylation. Whereas Y192 phosphorylation enhances the Slt2 catalytic activity, T190 is essential for this activity. The conserved T195 residue is also critical for Slt2 functionality. Mutations that abolish the activity of Slt2 result in a high increase in inactive Y192-monophosphorylated Slt2. The coexistence of different Slt2 phosphoforms with diverse biological significance highlights the importance of the precise detection of the Slt2 phosphorylation status.

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