Search results for "contamination"

Sterigmatocystin: Occurrence, toxicity and molecular mechanisms of action – A review

2020

The mycotoxin sterigmatocystin (STE) is produced mainly by Aspergillus fungi. It has been reported to occur in grains and grain-based products, cheese, coffee, spices and beer. The STE is a known biogenic precursor of aflatoxin B1, sharing with it several structural and biological similarities. The STE has been shown to be hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic in animals and it has been classified as possible human carcinogen (group 2B) by IARC. The STE has been reported to cause a marked decrease in cell proliferation in different mammalian cells. Data available on literature suggest that the cellular mechanisms underlying STE-induced toxicity include the induction of oxidative stress, mitochondrial…

Method optimization to measure polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations in soils of Bratislava, Slovakia.

2010

We modified an analytical method to determine polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in urban soils of Bratislava (Slovakia). Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) introduced as a clean-up step for soil extracts substantially reduced matrix enhancements when PBDEs were measured with gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (GC-NCI-MS). The resulting method proved to be accurate, precise, and showed low detection limits. The sum of 15 PBDE concentrations in surface horizons of Bratislava soils ranged from 87 to 627 pg g(-1). PBDE concentrations were mostly higher in surface than deeper horizons probably because of atmospheric deposition and lack of substantial vertical…

Rośliny naczyniowe jako bioindykatory stanu środowiska

2017

Dzięki coraz nowocześniejszym i powszechniej stosowanym metodom bioindykacji można dokonać precyzyjnej i stosunkowo wydajnej oceny stanu środowiska naturalnego oraz zmian w nim zachodzących.Wymiernym sposobem monitoringu przyrody są obserwacje reakcji żywych organizmów. Badania przeprowadza się głównie z użyciem stenobiontów, czyli taksonów o małej tolerancji na zmienność warunków środowiska. Grupę roślin oraz zwierząt wykorzystywanych w badaniach bioindykacyjnych nazywa się wskaźnikowymi.Bioindykacja znajduje zastosowanie w geologii poszukiwawczej do odnajdywania miejsc z możliwością pozyskania cennych kruszców oraz w ochronie środowiska do monitoringu stanu jego zanieczyszczenia. Na podst…

Influence of Environmental Pollution and Living Conditions on Parasite Transmission among Indigenous Ecuadorians

2022

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of environmental pollution and the living conditions of indigenous Ecuadorians on the transmission of enteroparasites in an Andean agricultural area located at high altitude. Environmental pollution was recorded after observation in each community. The parasites were identified by microscopic sediment analysis using physiological saline solution from macerated arthropods, washed vegetables, and human stools, utilizing four coproparasitological techniques (direct examination, Kato–Katz, ether concentration, and Ziehl–Neelsen). The results show that the inadequate disposal of human and animal excreta that contaminate soil and…

Mushrooms as biomonitors of heavy metals contamination in forest areas

2018

The aim of the research was to assess the level of contamination with heavy metals (manganese, iron, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium and lead) in two forest areas selected in different places in Poland: the first one in the Swietokrzyskie Province (forests of the Staporkow Forest Division) and the second one in the Opolskie Province (forests of the Kup Forest Division). The degree of contamination of these forest areas with analytes was found using edible large-fruited mushrooms naturally occurring there - the research was carried out using passive biomonitoring method. Heavy metals in mushrooms (separately in stems and hats) as well as in soil samples were determined by atomic absorption spe…

Does Arsenic Contamination Affect DNA Methylation Patterns in a Wild Bird Population? : An Experimental Approach

2021

Pollutants, such as toxic metals, negatively influence organismal health and performance, even leading to population collapses. Studies in model organisms have shown that epigenetic marks, such as DNA methylation, can be modulated by various environmental factors, including pollutants, influencing gene expression, and various organismal traits. Yet experimental data on the effects of pollution on DNA methylation from wild animal populations are largely lacking. We here experimentally investigated for the first time the effects of early-life exposure to environmentally relevant levels of a key pollutant, arsenic (As), on genome-wide DNA methylation in a wild bird population. We experimentall…

Magnetometry in Environmental Sciences : Studying Environmental Structure Changes and Environmental Pollution

2018

Control of Growth and Persistence of Listeria monocytogenes and β-Lactam-Resistant Escherichia coli by Thymol in Food Processing Settings

2020

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of thymol in controlling environmental contamination in food processing facilities. The effect of thymol was tested as an agent to prevent planktonic and bacterial biofilm growth of twenty-five Listeria monocytogenes isolates from a variety of foods and five Escherichia coli isolates from a farm. The E. coli isolates were positive for extended spectrum &beta

Os, Sr, Nd, Pb, O isotope and trace element data from the Ferrar flood basalts, antarctica: evidence for an enriched subcontinental lithospheric sour…

1996

Os, Sr, Nd, Pb and O isotopes and trace element data are reported for basaltic andesite and andesite whole rocks and, in part, for selected mineral separates from the Jurassic Ferrar flood basalt province. Radiogenic Sr (> 0.709), unradiogenic Nd (εNd= −3 to −5), and radiogenic Pb isotopes, as well as low Nb/La ratios of 0.4 – 0.6 and Nb/La ratios between 0.45 and 0.6 are found for all rocks including our most primitive sample (Mg# = 71.9). This indicates involvement of either continental crust or enriched lithospheric mantle in magma genesis. 187Re/188Os correlates strongly with 187Os/188Os, with an age of 172 ± 5 Ma, in agreement with published Arsingle bondAr data. Initial 187Os/188Os of…

Application of bacteriocins in vegetable food biopreservation.

2007

Bacteriocins are generally recognized as "natural" compounds able to influence the safety and quality of foods. In the past years, a lot of works have been aimed to the detection, purification and characterisation of bacteriocins, as well as to their use in food preservation strategies. A list of review articles dealing with the application of bacteriocins to the protection of foods of animal origin is also available in literature, but it lacks for a summary on the utilization of bacteriocins in vegetable foods. These biopreservatives can be used in a number of ways in food systems and this paper mainly focuses on the state-of-the-art application of bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria (L…