Enhancement of 14C-phenanthrene mineralisation in the presence of plant-root biomass in PAH-NAPL amended soil

Investigations into the beneficial effects of the interaction between plants and soil microorganisms towards bioremediation of contaminated soil has been studied over the past 30 years. This subject has been summarized as the process where organic contaminants can be removed from the soil through the interaction between roots and catabolic microbial populations. This study assessed the tolerance of different plant species against polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-non aqueous phase liquid (PAH-NAPL) contaminated soil and the feasibility of the use of their root biomass to promote the biodegradation of 14C-phenanthene. Toxicity results showed that seeds germination was not affected by the presence of PAHs. Furthermore, mineralisation of 14C-phenanthrene was significantly enhanced by the addition of root biomass after at least two weeks incubation. Moreover, bacterial numbers did not show a significant relationship with 14C-phenanthrene mineralisation. Results showed that the higher mineralisation of 14C-phenanthrene is not related to an increase on the microbial numbers as is normally assumed

Optimisation of XAD extraction methodology for the assessment of biodegradation potential of 14C-phenanthene in soil

This study investigated the use of a hydrophobic resin, amberlite XAD, as a tool for assessing the biodegradation potential of 14C-phenanthene in soil. The method was optimised in terms of soil/XAD ratio, shaking, extraction time and eluting solvent. The most effective method was then tested on selected XADs, and the performance compared with cyclodextrin (HP- β -CD) and dichloromethane (DCM) extractions suitability to predict phenanthrene biodegradation in soil over 100 d. Results showed that the optimum conditions for the XAD extraction technique are a 2:1 soil/XAD ratio, 100 rpm mixing for 22 h and elution using a DCM:methanol solution (1:1). Mineralisation of 14C-phenanthrene was accurately predicted by HP- β -CD ( r 2 = 0 . 990 , slope  =  0.953, intercept  =  1.374) and XAD-4 extractions ( r 2 = 0 . 989 , slope  =  0.820, intercept  =  6.567), while DCM overestimated the bioaccessibility of  14C-phenanthrene ( r 2 = 0 . 999 , slope  =  1.328, intercept  = − 49 . 507 ). This investigation showed that XAD extraction can be considered a suitable non-exhaustive technique for estimating biodegradability of phenanthrene in soil

Familial hypercholesterolaemia in children and adolescents from 48 countries: a cross-sectional study

Background: Approximately 450 000 children are born with familial hypercholesterolaemia worldwide every year, yet only 2·1% of adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia were diagnosed before age 18 years via current diagnostic approaches, which are derived from observations in adults. We aimed to characterise children and adolescents with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) and understand current approaches to the identification and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia to inform future public health strategies. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we assessed children and adolescents younger than 18 years with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of HeFH at the time of entry into the Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) registry between Oct 1, 2015, and Jan 31, 2021. Data in the registry were collected from 55 regional or national registries in 48 countries. Diagnoses relying on self-reported history of familial hypercholesterolaemia and suspected secondary hypercholesterolaemia were excluded from the registry; people with untreated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) of at least 13·0 mmol/L were excluded from this study. Data were assessed overall and by WHO region, World Bank country income status, age, diagnostic criteria, and index-case status. The main outcome of this study was to assess current identification and management of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia. Findings: Of 63 093 individuals in the FHSC registry, 11 848 (18·8%) were children or adolescents younger than 18 years with HeFH and were included in this study; 5756 (50·2%) of 11 476 included individuals were female and 5720 (49·8%) were male. Sex data were missing for 372 (3·1%) of 11 848 individuals. Median age at registry entry was 9·6 years (IQR 5·8-13·2). 10 099 (89·9%) of 11 235 included individuals had a final genetically confirmed diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia and 1136 (10·1%) had a clinical diagnosis. Genetically confirmed diagnosis data or clinical diagnosis data were missing for 613 (5·2%) of 11 848 individuals. Genetic diagnosis was more common in children and adolescents from high-income countries (9427 [92·4%] of 10 202) than in children and adolescents from non-high-income countries (199 [48·0%] of 415). 3414 (31·6%) of 10 804 children or adolescents were index cases. Familial-hypercholesterolaemia-related physical signs, cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular disease were uncommon, but were more common in non-high-income countries. 7557 (72·4%) of 10 428 included children or adolescents were not taking lipid-lowering medication (LLM) and had a median LDL-C of 5·00 mmol/L (IQR 4·05-6·08). Compared with genetic diagnosis, the use of unadapted clinical criteria intended for use in adults and reliant on more extreme phenotypes could result in 50-75% of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia not being identified. Interpretation: Clinical characteristics observed in adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia are uncommon in children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia, hence detection in this age group relies on measurement of LDL-C and genetic confirmation. Where genetic testing is unavailable, increased availability and use of LDL-C measurements in the first few years of life could help reduce the current gap between prevalence and detection, enabling increased use of combination LLM to reach recommended LDL-C targets early in life

Evaluación de los cambios de cobertura del suelo de la reserva de la biosfera barranca Metztitlan, Hidalgo, México (1973-2006)

The changes of the land-cover in the Reserve of the Biosphere Barranca de Metztitlan, Hidalgo, Mexico were evaluated in the period from 1973 to 2006, with base in a supervised classification and visual interpretation of Landsat MSS, ETM+ and SPOT satellite images. The maps of land-cover, land-cover change, as well as the rate and direction of change were obtained for both dates. The cover with greater surface is Scrubland occupying 70.3% and 62.3% of the total area of the reserve for 1973 and 2006 respectively. The 87.81% of the total area did not present changes for the studied period. Most of the changes were located in areas under direct influence of human activities, being the Grassland cover has the higher growing, in opposite sense; the cover that presented the greater reduction was the Broadleaf Forest.Se evaluaron los cambios de cobertura del suelo en la Reserva de la Biosfera Barranca de Metztitlán, Hidalgo, México en el periodo de 1973 a 2006 utilizando clasificación supervisada e interpretación visual de imágenes satelitales Landsat MSS, ETM+ y Spot. Obteniendo los mapas de cobertura del suelo para ambas fechas, un mapa de cambio, así como su tasa y dirección. La cobertura con mayor superficie ocupada es Matorral (70.3% y 62.3%) para 1973 y 2006 respectivamente, el 87.81% del área total de la reserva no presentó cambios en el periodo estudiado. La mayor parte de los cambios se localizaron en áreas bajo influencia directa de las actividades humanas, siendo el Pastizal la cobertura con la mayor tasa de crecimiento, y en sentido opuesto, la cobertura con mayor reducción fue el Bosque de Latifoliadas

Hazardous Solid Waste Confined in Closed Dump of Morelia: An Urgent Environmental Liability to Attend in Developing Countries

In developing countries, landfills of urban solid waste (USW) are a major source of contamination. One reason is the common practice of the illegal confinement of hazardous waste (HW). The contamination is mainly due to deficitary design location, operation and lack of liner, which enables the dispersion of pollutants. The aim of our work is to demonstrate the presence of heavy metals (HM) and arsenic (As) in USW of the closed dump of Morelia, which clandestinely confined HW for 20 years. Solid samples of USW were collected from eight opencast wells with different age of confinement. Composition, degradation status, physical-chemical characterization and analysis of HM and As were carried out. The results showed the presence of Pb, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cr, Fe and high concentrations of As. This study provides evidence about the usual and illegal practice of landfill HW together with USW; the hazard due to the presence of HM and As; the deficiency in the operation and closure; and, the lack of competent legislation on the subject. This information is essential to establish background information for improving laws and help decision makers in territorial planning to improve public and environment health

The effect of organic acids on the behaviour and biodegradation of 14C-phenanthrene in contaminated soil

8 páginas.- 5 tablas.- 58 referencias.- Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107722The interaction between root exudates and soil microbes has been hypothesised as the primary mechanism for the biodegradation of organic pollutants in the rhizosphere. However, the mechanisms governing this loss process are not completely understood. This study aimed to investigate the effect of two important compounds within root exudates (citric and malic acid) on 14C-phenanthrene desorption and bioaccessibility in soil. Overall results showed that the presence of both citric and malic acid (>100 mmol l−1) enhanced the desorption of 14C-phenanthrene; this appeared to be concentration dependant. Increases in extractability were not reflected in a higher bioaccessibility. Despite enhancing the desorption of 14C-phenanthrene in soil, there is no direct evidence indicating that citric or malic acid have the ability to promote the biodegradation of 14C-phenanthrene from soil. Results from this study provide a novel understanding of the role that substrates, typically found within the rhizosphere due to root exudation, play in the bioaccessibility and biodegradation of hydrocarbons in contaminated soil.GVC would like to thank the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACyT) for their financial support through a scholarship (No. 313807 ) to pursue postgraduate studies at the Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University.Peer reviewe

Treatment of a Textile Effluent from Dyeing with Cochineal Extracts Using Trametes versicolor Fungus

Trametes versicolor (Tv) fungus can degrade synthetic dyes that contain azo groups, anthraquinone, triphenylmethane polymers, and heterocyclic groups. However, no references have been found related to the degradation of natural dyes, such as the carminic acid that is contained in the cochineal extract. Experiments to determine the decolorization of the effluent used in the cotton dyeing process with cochineal extract by means of Tv fungus were done. Treatments to determine decolorization in the presence or absence of Kirk's medium, glucose, and fungus, with an addition of 50% (v v-1) of nonsterilized effluent were performed. Physicochemical characterization was performed at the start and end of the treatment. Degradation kinetics were determined. A direct relationship was found between the dry weight of fungi, pH, and the decolorization system, with higher decolorization at lower pH levels (pH ~4.3). High decolorization (81% ± 0.09; 88% ± 0.17; and 99% ± 0.04) for three of the eight treatments (Kirk's medium without glucose, Kirk's medium with glucose, and without medium with glucose, respectively) was found. Toxicity tests determined an increase in the initial effluent toxicity (7.33 TU) compared with the final treatment (47.73 TU) in a period of 11 days. For this system, a degradation sequence of the carminic acid structure present in the effluent by the Tv fungus is suggested, in which it is seen that metabolites still containing aromatic structures are generated

Overview of the current status of familial hypercholesterolaemia care in over 60 countries - The EAS Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC)

Background and aims: Management of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) may vary across different settings due to factors related to population characteristics, practice, resources and/or policies. We conducted a survey among the worldwide network of EAS FHSC Lead Investigators to provide an overview of FH status in different countries. Methods: Lead Investigators from countries formally involved in the EAS FHSC by mid-May 2018 were invited to provide a brief report on FH status in their countries, including available information, programmes, initiatives, and management. Results: 63 countries provided reports. Data on FH prevalence are lacking in most countries. Where available, data tend to align with recent estimates, suggesting a higher frequency than that traditionally considered. Low rates of FH detection are reported across all regions. National registries and education programmes to improve FH awareness/knowledge are a recognised priority, but funding is often lacking. In most countries, diagnosis primarily relies on the Dutch Lipid Clinics Network criteria. Although available in many countries, genetic testing is not widely implemented (frequent cost issues). There are only a few national official government programmes for FH. Under-treatment is an issue. FH therapy is not universally reimbursed. PCSK9-inhibitors are available in ∼2/3 countries. Lipoprotein-apheresis is offered in ∼60% countries, although access is limited. Conclusions: FH is a recognised public health concern. Management varies widely across countries, with overall suboptimal identification and under-treatment. Efforts and initiatives to improve FH knowledge and management are underway, including development of national registries, but support, particularly from health authorities, and better funding are greatly needed

Overview of the current status of familial hypercholesterolaemia care in over 60 countries - The EAS Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC)

Management of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) may vary across different settings due to factors related to population characteristics, practice, resources and/or policies. We conducted a survey among the worldwide network of EAS FHSC Lead Investigators to provide an overview of FH status in different countries