Ecotoxicological assessment of mineralized stratum water as an environmentally friendly substitute for agrochemicals

Received: May 2nd, 2022 ; Accepted: July 17th, 2022 ; Published: July 28th, 2022 ; Correspondence: [email protected]; [email protected] a result of military operations on the territory of Ukraine, sown areas are reduced, the cost of plant protection products and fertilizers increases which emphasizes the problem of obtaining maximum yields from a smaller area of farmland. Given that a shortage of food grains can cause a global food crisis, research on the use of MSW as an environmentally friendly substitute for agrochemicals is relevant today. The aim of the research was to assess the ecotoxicological properties of MSW as an environmentally friendly substitute for synthetic agrochemicals. The impact of MSW as a fertilizer on soil chemical properties and assessment of MSW phytotoxicity as an herbicide for weeds and productivity of winter wheat were studied under field conditions. Toxicological assessment of MSW under laboratory conditions was carried out according to the following parameters: acute oral toxicity and resorptive-toxic effect of MSW. As a result of the assessment of MSW impact on soil chemical properties, it was found that significant soil acidification occurs only when MSW dose of more than 2,400 L ha-1 is used. The content of nitrates and oil products did not increase and there was no soil salinity when the MSW was used in doses of 300–1,200 L ha-1 . It was determined that the greatest decrease in weed plant biomass (85.5%) was observed when 100% concentration of MSW was used in a dose of 350 L ha-1 . As a consequence, with reduced weed infestation, there was a 21.5% increase in winter wheat yield if 100% MSW was used and a 19.1% increase if 75% MSW was used. As a result of the toxicological assessment of MSW, it was found that it belongs to low-toxic compounds. These results of ecotoxicological investigation of MSW make it possible to assert that its use is safe in agriculture, in particular as an environmentally safe organomineral fertilizer and herbicide

The Landscape Archaeology of Knettishall Heath, Suffolk and its Implications

This paper briefly describes the results of archaeological fieldwork carried out in an area of heathland, currently managed as a nature reserve, in East Anglia. Although the earthworks recorded are for the most part unremarkable, they demonstrate the variety and intensity of human exploitation which shaped this ‘traditionally managed’ habitat. They also serve to emphasise the extent to which modern conservation management can radically change the long-term character of individual places

Puszcza Białowieska : miniprzewodnik naukowy

"Dzisiejsza roślinność Puszczy jest wynikiem procesów ekologicznych, które kształtowały ją od schyłku ostatniego zlodowacenia, kiedy ocieplenie klimatu umożliwiło rozwój ekosystemów leśnych na tym terenie. Około 12 tysięcy lat temu rozprzestrzeniły się tu lasy sosnowo-brzozowe, a następnie kolejno przybywały inne gatunki drzew, które wędrowały z cieplejszych rejonów Europy, gdzie przetrwały okres zlodowacenia. Stopniowo wzbogacały one tutejsze lasy i powodowały ich zróżnicowanie w zależności od warunków siedliskowych. Do pierwszych przybyszów, po sośnie i brzozie, należały wiąz i leszczyna, a między ok. 9300 a 3800 lat temu miał miejsce najbujniejszy rozwój wielogatunkowych, mieszanych lasów liściastych." (fragm.

The influence of chronic intake of saccharin on rat hepatic and pancreatic function and morphology: gender differences

There are opposite hypotheses on the effect of saccharin. Our aim was reviewing the influence of chronically ingested saccharin on the function and histological structure of liver and pancreas and all this in light of gender differences. The rats were divided into control group – (Group C) and saccharin-treated group – (Group S) which was given a normal diet and 0.0005% saccharin in drinking water for 6 weeks. Liver and pancreas were histologically processed and quantitative histological analysis was performed. Glucose blood levels and plasma activities of aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT), body weight, and food intake were analyzed. Quantitative histological analysis determined that the values of diameter and volume density of both Langerhans islets and exocrine acini were significantly higher in S group, especially in males. AST levels were significantly higher in treated group. Glucose levels were higher in treated group, mainly due to the values of the female subgroup. Food intake was significantly higher in control group, while weight gain was higher in treated group. Treated males had significantly higher food intake and weight gain in comparison with treated females. The data presented here suggests that chronic saccharin intake affects the examined parameters. Reported facts reflect various metabolic, hormonal and neural responses in males and females

EFFECTS OF AMINOGLUTETHIMIDE ON ADRENAL STEROID SECRETION

Effects of various doses of aminoglutethimide (AG) alone upon adrenal steroidogenesis were studied in normal postmenopausal women, whereas the effects of combined treatment with aminoglutethimide in variable doses together with 40 mg of hydrocortisone were studied in postmenopausal women with advanced mammary concer and compared to effects of treatment with cortisol alone. Despite the well known inhibitory effect of AG on cortisol biosynthesis, plasma cortisol levels were unaffected by AG in doses of 150–1000 mg/d, probably due to a compensatory increase in ACTH in subjects with an intact pituitary‐adrenal axis. The aromatase system appeared to be very sensitive to inhibition by AG, a clearcut inhibition being shown at doses as low as 150 mg/d. Evaluated from the ratio of plasma oestrone (E1) to plasma androstenedione (AN), treatment with AG at a dose of 150 mg/d appeared to reduce the aromatase activity to 33% of the basal value; 250 mg/d resulted in a reduction to 20% and 1 g/d to 5% of basal values. Whereas AG at 150 mg/d did not appear to affect 11β‐hydroxylase, the latter was clearly inhibited by 250 mg/d and even more so by 1000 mg/d, as indicated by the increase in plasma 11‐desoxycortisol and 17‐OH progesterone (17‐OHP) levels. Due to the increase of the latter, their biosynthetic precursor, AN and to a lesser degree testosterone (TS) levels increased significantly during AG treatment at a dose of 250 or 1000 mg/d. Δ5 steroid levels remained practically unchanged, probably because 11‐(as well as the 21‐) hydroxylation concerns essentially the Δ4 pathway. During combined treatment with 500–1000 mg/d of AG and cortisol 40 mg/d, AN and TS were significantly higher than during treatment with cortisol alone, suggesting that cortisol had not completely blocked ACTH secretion. E1 and E2 levels were however lower than during treatment with cortisol alone, a consequence of the inhibition of the aromatase activity. Although at a dose of Copyright © 1983, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reservedSCOPUS: ar.jFLWNAinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

In vitro platform establishes antigen-specific CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity to encapsulated cells via indirect antigen recognition

The curative potential of non-autologous cellular therapy is hindered by the requirement of anti-rejection therapy. Cellular encapsulation within nondegradable biomaterials has the potential to inhibit immune rejection, but the efficacy of this approach in robust preclinical and clinical models remains poor. While the responses of innate immune cells to the encapsulating material have been characterized, little attention has been paid to the contributions of adaptive immunity in encapsulated graft destabilization. Avoiding the limitations of animal models, we established an efficient, antigen-specific in vitro platform capable of delineating direct and indirect host T cell recognition to microencapsulated cellular grafts and evaluated their consequential impacts. Using ovalbumin (OVA) as a model antigen, we determined that alginate microencapsulation abrogates direct CD8+ T cell activation by interrupting donor-host interaction; however, indirect T cell activation, mediated by host antigen presenting cells (APCs) primed with shed donor antigens, still occurs. These activated T cells imparted cytotoxicity on the encapsulated cells, likely via diffusion of cytotoxic solutes. Overall, this platform delivers unique mechanistic insight into the impacts of hydrogel encapsulation on host adaptive immune responses, comprehensively addressing a long-standing hypothesis of the field. Furthermore, it provides an efficient benchtop screening tool for the investigation of new encapsulation methods and/or synergistic immunomodulatory agents. •An efficient benchtop model capable of characterizing adaptive immune responses to encapsulated cells was developed.•The platform determined that encapsulated cells/organoids activate host T cells via an APCs-mediated indirect recognition pathway.•The amount and density of the encapsulated cells direct the magnitude of indirect T cell activation.•The resulting T effector cells were cytotoxic to the encaged organoids across the biomaterial barrier.•This benchtop platform could be used in future studies to screen immune interventions for therapeutic applications