This study examined the effects of hot high-fat simulants on the physicochemical properties of microplastics (MPs) from polypropylene (PP)-, low-density polyethylene (LDPE)-, and polylactic acid (PLA)-based single-use food container (SUFC) leachates and those of aging on their immunomodulatory effectors. Scenario studies have demonstrated that MPs were released from these three types of SUFCs. LDPE- and PLA-based SUFCs also released cellulose. Among the SUFCs, only the PP leachates particles exhibited a new absorption peak at 1725 cm, which aging phenomenon may be attributed to the presence of unstable tertiary carbon atoms. Subsequently, we investigated the immunomodulatory effects of removing additive both PP and thermal-aged PP with polystyrene (PS) and carboxyl-modified PS (PS-COOH) polymer backbones as reference materials. The findings indicated that thermal-aged PP and PS-COOH induced comparable innate immune responses, with PS-COOH particles exhibiting a similar size to SUFC percolates. Consequently, PS and PS-COOH were selected as original and thermal-aged MPs, respectively, to evaluate the effects of aging on innate immunity. The results revealed thata protein corona formed on both particle types, with more protein adsorption observed on PS-COOH particles. The complex enhanced the phagocytosis of RAW264.7 macrophages and increased the expression of pro-inflammatory genes NOS2 and TNF-α through an actin polymerization cross-linking mechanism. In this study, we investigated how thermal-aged MPs affect innate immune responses using PS-COOH as a model system, emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive safety evaluations of MPs.

Microplastics (MPs) are widespread in water environments and can affect gut microbiota and host metabolism of fish, but whether changes in host metabolism under MPs are mediated by gut microbiota remains unclear. Here, silver carp, a filter-feeding fish with important ecological functions, was in-situ exposure to environmentally relevant MPs. Multi-omics analysis and fecal microbiota transplantation were used to reveal the metabolic responses of carp along gut-liver-muscle axis. After three months of in situ exposure to MPs, community structure of gut microbiota of carp was reshaped, and five dominate phyla were significantly changed, including increased Cyanobacteria, Chloroflexi and Planctomycetota but decreased Firmicutes and Fusobacteriota. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was further performed between these phyla and liver transcription spectrum, showing that the hub gene module contained up-regulated hppD, maiA and plg and activated ubiquinone and other terpenoid-quinone biosynthesis and phenylalanine metabolism. By fecal microbiota transplantation, the key gene module associated with core microbiota phyla of carp was verified in germ-free zebrafish. Interestingly, up-regulated hppD, maiA and plg and enriched phenylalanine metabolism were also observed in this module. Subsequently, metabolome performed in carp liver also shared activated phenylalanine metabolism, including increased trans-cinnamic acid and L-tyrosine. Furthermore, high-associated mapping showed that the differentially expressed metabolites (gamma-aminobutyric acid, ornithine and L-serine) related to amino acid metabolism in carp muscle were significantly accompanied with increased L-tyrosine in its liver. Overall, MPs exposure could change gut microbiome of silver carp and alter host metabolism especially amino acid metabolism along the gut-liver-muscle axis.

Arsenic (As) is an environmental metalloid. Previous studies have demonstrated that As exposure resulted in decline of sperm quality. This study aimed to investigate the impact of exposure to As on blood-testis barrier (BTB) in a mouse model. Four-week-old male mice were exposed to NaAsO (1 or 15 mg/L) for 6 weeks. Our results found that NaAsO exposure disrupted the BTB and reduced sperm counts in adult mice. NaAsO activated the integrated stress response (ISR) and downregulated barrier junction protein in mouse testes and Sertoli cells. Ribosome profiling sequencing (Ribo-seq) and Ribosome-nascent chain complex-bound mRNA qPCR (RNC-qPCR) showed that translational efficiency of N-cadherin and ZO-1, two key barrier junction proteins, was reduced in NaAsO-treated Sertoli cells. Mechanistically, NaAsO exposure reduced SIRT3 protein via proteasomal degradation, thereby resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction and excess mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) generation in Sertoli cells. Melatonin alleviated NaAsO-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and mtROS upregulation via reducing SOD2 acetylation in Sertoli cells. Moreover, melatonin antagonized NaAsO-induced ISR, barrier junction proteins downregulation and barrier function impairment in Sertoli cells. Accordingly, melatonin attenuated NaAsO-evoked BTB disruption and sperm count reduction in adult mice. These results suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction-associated translational inhibition of barrier junction proteins is involved in As-mediated BTB disruption and sperm quality decline.

Recent evidence has shown the increasing trend of tropospheric ozone (O) in Southeast Asia. Mitigating O pollution in Southeast Asia has become important and urgent. While the nonlinear O chemistry makes policy-making complicated, the O formation regime and O response to different emissions have rarely been assessed in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, the O-attributable health impacts in Southeast Asia under future emission scenarios have yet to be quantified. Herein, we applied the regional chemical transport model with the High-order Decoupled Direct Method (HDDM) to simulate the O sensitivity to precursor emissions in Southeast Asia, and then projected the health benefits under future Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP) emission scenarios, providing policy suggestions for mitigating O pollution and its health impacts. Our results show O in urban areas (i.e., Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City) was sensitive to both nitrogen oxides (NO) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions, and synergistic NO and VOCs control is thus essential. Suburban, rural, and sea areas were under a NO-limited regime, suggesting the high effectiveness of controlling NO over these areas. Compared with the health impacts in baseline year (2019), the annual total O-attributed premature mortality under the business-as-usual emission scenario (SSP245) is projected to reduce by 22 k (47 %) by 2050 due to the future NO emission reductions in power generation, industrial process, and transportation. Most of the health benefits will happen in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. The sustainable emission scenario (SSP126) is projected to avoid 36 k annual O-attributed premature mortalities by 2050 due to its more stringent NO reductions in shipping, transportation, and industrial process. SSP370 and SSP585 are projected to increase the O-attributable premature mortality by up to 33 k because of the rising NO emissions.

Among aerosol constituents, soot-dominated particles represent a major concern in the context of climate change because of their highly variable warming effect. It is shown here that their radiative forcing can be controlled by properly mixing them with other materials, which suggests that transitioning from radiative warming to cooling is achievable even under a constant level of soot emission, i.e., without significantly limiting emissions from industries or other sources. This process is found here to hold for submicrometer and micrometer-sized multicomponent aggregates. It is concluded that the radiative forcing related to carbon emissions can be modulated by material coatings condensed onto the surface of absorbing soot particles, either during random particle-particle interactions in an open atmosphere, or in the controlled process of particle growth. The tailoring of optical properties of carbon emissions is thus theoretically possible. This is expected to have significant implications for future emission source regulation policies worldwide.

Whether exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may incur microRNAs (miRNAs) dysregulation remains largely unclear.

COVID-19 is now considered endemic in many countries. On May 8, 2023, Japan reclassified COVID-19 from a pandemic to an endemic status, shifting surveillance from universal to sentinel reporting and transitioning the testing and treatment cost of COVID-19 from public funding to individual health insurance coverage. Restrictions on movement, events, and business hours were lifted, potentially increasing cases and complicating tracking. Monitoring hospital cases remains essential to protect high-risk inpatients from nosocomial infections. In this study, 13,812 COVID-19 cases in 12 hospitals were analyzed and the results revealed a strong correlation between SARS-CoV-2 levels in municipal wastewater and weekly new cases during both the pandemic period (February 15, 2021 - February 26, 2023; Pearson's r = 0.8321) and the endemic period (May 8, 2023 - October 1, 2023; Pearson's r = 0.7501). SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in wastewater from municipal catchment areas showed a stronger correlation with the number of COVID-19 cases at hospitals than did RNA levels in wastewater from the catchment area where the hospitals are located. The difference in correlations was more pronounced during the endemic period. During the endemic period, measurements of SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in samples obtained from larger sewersheds may be more effective in capturing the overall trends of COVID-19 cases in a region. In other words, during the endemic period, municipal wastewater surveillance may reflect the number of COVID-19 cases in hospitals. Even for facilities that do not monitor SARS-CoV-2 in their own hospital wastewater, publicly available municipal wastewater data can be used to estimate the number of COVID-19 cases in hospitals. Furthermore, COVID-19 infection control measures within hospitals can be evaluated by comparing the number of nosocomial infection patients based on the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in municipal wastewater.

Migratory birds play a pivotal role in the global dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), with shorebirds relying on coastal wetlands during their long-distance migrations, environments often contaminated and conducive to ARG transmission. However, systematic investigations into antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in shorebirds remain scarce. During spring and autumn of 2023, we collected 893 throat and cloacal swabs from 480 shorebirds, representing 28 species, at Chongming Dongtan, a critical stopover along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Our analysis identified six strains, including four extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) and two K. pneumoniae, that exhibited resistance to third-generation cephalosporins, with three ExPEC strains exhibiting significant virulence in Galleria mellonella infection assays. We identified two conjugative plasmids: E042113F_p1, carrying the bla gene in E. coli, and M50_p2, carrying the bla gene in a hypervirulent K. pneumoniae with a virulence plasmid harboring the aerobactin system. Bioinformatic and experimental analyses confirmed that these plasmids could transfer without any fitness cost, remaining stable for at least 30 passages. Surprisingly, genomic tracing revealed that among the plasmids similar to E042113F_p1 (bla), the earliest was identified in a Chinese swallow in 2015, with subsequent detections in wild birds from Mongolia (2017), Russia (2018), and Australia (2019). Notably, these E04-CMY-like/M50-KPC-like plasmids predominantly originated from human sources, underscoring the pivotal role of human activity in the cross-species transmission of AMR. This human-mediated transmission of resistance elements into wildlife posed a substantial risk for amplifying and disseminating AMR through long-range migratory bird movements, highlighting the urgent need for international collaboration under a One Health framework. Integrated surveillance, environmental management, and stringent antibiotic stewardship are critical to mitigating the risks posed by migratory birds in amplifying and spreading AMR across ecosystems.

Health effects of ultrafine particles (UFPs) and their interactions with temperature are less studied. We investigated the risks of UFPs concentrations and extreme temperatures on hospitalizations for high-burden diseases (HBDs) in New York State (NYS).

Climate change is a global health emergency, with extreme heat events increasing morbidity, mortality, and hospitalisations, and exacerbating health and social inequalities. Global temperatures have risen by over 1.1 °C since pre-industrial times and could reach 2.5 °C or even 4.0 °C based on current policies. This study examined how projected climate change will vary geographically and by population sub-group in England, to assess whether these changes will affect existing health inequalities.

Nano-biochar (NBC) is a promising tool for sustainable remediation of contaminants in aquatic environments. However, the presence of ubiquitous ions and dissolved organic matter (DOM) can impact NBC aggregation, resulting in reduced application efficacy and potential ecological risks. Understanding and regulating NBC aggregation offers valuable insights for its deployment. This study integrated batch aggregation experiments, theoretical models, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance-mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations to explore the behaviors and mechanisms of NBC aggregation with coexisting ions and model DOM. NBC aggregation kinetics followed the classical Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory in both NBC-ions and NBC-ions-fulvic acid (FA) solutions, indicating that the aggregation process is controlled by Van der Waals forces and electrostatic repulsion. Mono/di-valent electrolytes promoted NBC aggregation, whereas FA moderated it, with higher molecular weight FA fractions exhibiting superior performance. Three-dimensional excitation-emission (3D-EEM) fluorescence spectra and Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) analyses revealed that HA-like substances, followed by FA-like substances, can form a complex with ions, thereby moderating NBC aggregation. FTICR-MS scans identified lignin substances with aromatic structures as key components that effectively reduce the promoted NBC aggregation with coexisting mono/di-valent electrolytes. DFT calculations confirmed that the aromatic structures in FA spontaneously form complexes with electrolytes, thereby potentially regulating NBC aggregation. This research highlights potential strategies for regulating NBC applications and offers insights into the behavior of nanoparticles in aquatic environments.

Pollution with metals and metalloids is a global problem that adversely affects human health and environment. Although several studies have reported gene expression changes in response to human exposures to metals, there are a limited number of studies exploring the effect of long-term residence in mining areas. The evidence of increased levels of several essential and non-essential metals in soil, water, and plants in Kapan mining area (Armenia) has been previously demonstrated in several environmental studies. Our study investigated the impact of long-term residence in this mining area on the transcriptome state of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the possible association of transcriptome changes with the blood metallome. In total, 58 participants including 27 mining region residents (MRR) and 31 non-mining region residents (NMR) were selected for our study. Transcriptomic analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was performed by mRNA sequencing. Differential expression analyses were conducted using generalized linear modeling, optimized for participant demographics, cell types, and sequencing technical factors, followed by pathway analysis. The study revealed that long-term residence in a mining area is correlated with alterations in the blood transcriptome, with responses varying by sex. The identified transcriptome changes were enriched for pathways related to immune response and RNA translation. These changes correlated with higher blood levels of a mixture of non-essential metals, including arsenic, antimony, nickel, thallium, and beryllium. Additionally, the study identified differences in the transcriptome response between male and female MRR. While females exhibited a stronger immune response, males show dysregulation in ion transport and epigenetic modifications. Our findings contribute to understanding the effects of long-term residence in mining regions and can aid in developing more effective risk assessment and mitigation approaches in target populations.

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Pathological alterations in IPF typically originate in the subpleural regions of the lungs. However, it was unclear how PM2.5 affected subpleural pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, atmospheric PM2.5 and carbon blacks were utilized as representative particulate matter to investigate these effects. Mouse models and cell models were made to investigate macrophage chemotaxis changes under PM2.5 exposure in vivo and in vitro. The findings indicated that PM2.5 promoted macrophage aggregation in the subpleural region of lung and aggravated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. At the same time, we uncovered for the first time that PM2.5 exposure led to an upregulation of midkine, which subsequently enhanced the production of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) through the cell surface receptor Syndecan 4 (SDC4) in pleural mesothelial cells (PMCs), thereby, inducing macrophage aggregation in subpleural region of lung. Furthermore, our results indicated that PM2.5 and bleomycin facilitated macrophage M1 polarization and the production of profibrotic inflammatory factors, culminating in fibrotic alterations in PMCs, lung fibroblasts, and alveolar epithelial cells. Finally, we demonstrated that inhibition of midkine ameliorated lung function and mitigated pulmonary fibrosis in vivo. In conclusion, our findings elucidated that midkine acted as a novel MCP-1 activator, mediating PM2.5-aggravated experimental pulmonary fibrosis, and suggested that the midkine/SDC4/MCP-1 signal should be a new therapeutic target for the treatment of PM2.5-related IPF.

Identifying susceptibility factors for adverse health effects from chemical exposures is an important aspect of characterizing human health impacts. However, to date, an efficient approach for identifying these factors has not been established. To address this limitation, two approaches were utilized to find studies that contained susceptibility information using methylmercury (MeHg) developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) as a case study. Both approaches start with a comprehensive literature search of 5 databases on MeHg followed by keyword filtering for potential epidemiology studies; however, the approaches diverged for the subsequent steps. Approach 1 initially included screening of all 7,531 studies captured by the human filter, but was modified when it was determined that 96% of studies found to include susceptibility information were captured by a dose-response filter. Approach 2 developed a susceptibility filter to limit the screening needed. Approach 1 resulted in the identification of 172 studies with information on MeHg DNT susceptibility. Approach 2 reduced screening by 52%, but only captured 74% of PECO-relevant studies when applied to the final study set. Although Approach 2 reduced screening by 12% compared with the use of the dose-response filter in Approach 1, the decreased detection of relevant studies precludes its use in most cases. Expected technological advances that allow refinement of a susceptibility filter to improve performance would be advantageous because of the potential further reduction in screening burden. However, at this time, Approach 1, involving the application of a dose-response filter, is currently recommended for identifying epidemiology papers with information on susceptibility factors.

Concerns about the negative impacts of microplastics on human health are increasing in society, while exposure and risk assessments require high-quality, reliable data. Although quality assurance and -control (QA/QC) frameworks exist to evaluate the reliability of data for these purposes, manually assessing studies is too time-consuming and prone to inconsistencies due to semantic ambiguities and evaluator bias. The rapid growth of microplastic studies makes manually screening relevant data practically unfeasible. This study explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically large language models (LLMs) such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, to streamline and standardize the QA/QC screening of data in microplastics research. We developed specific prompts based on previously published QA/QC criteria for the analysis of microplastics in drinking water and its sources, and used these to instruct AI tools to evaluate 73 studies published between 2011 and 2024. Our approach demonstrated the effectiveness of AI in extracting relevant information, interpreting the reliability of studies, and replicating human assessments. The findings indicate that AI-assisted assessments show promise in improving speed, consistency and applicability in QA/QC tasks, as well as in ranking studies or datasets based on their suitability for exposure and risk assessments. This groundbreaking application of LLMs in the environmental sciences suggests that AI can play a vital role in harmonizing microplastics risk assessments within regulatory frameworks and demonstrates how to meet the demands of an increasingly data-intensive application domain.

Excessive production and widespread application of antibiotic has led to residues in environmental matrices worldwide. There is limited knowledge of the concentrations of antibiotics bound to ambient fine particulate matter (PM) and their health risks. We investigated the occurrence, sources, environmental driving factors, and health risks of antibiotics in PM samples collected from Beijing and Shijiazhuang, China, during periods of high air pollution. Using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, 25 antibiotics were detected in PM at concentrations ranging from undetectable to 774.7 pg/m. These compounds were predominantly tetracyclines and macrolides. The positive matrix factorization model was used to pinpoint the main sources of these antibiotics as pharmaceutical and medical waste, sewage treatment plants, and livestock emissions, with contributions of 39.1 %, 31.7 %, and 29.2 % respectively, to the total concentrations. Crucial environmental driving factors were determined using a linear mixed-effects model and random forest model. Most antibiotics showed a positive correlation with gaseous pollutants and a negative correlation with meteorological factors. PM, PM, and CO had the highest influence. The estimated daily intake and hazard quotient (HQ) were calculated to assess the human inhalation exposure risks for these antibiotics, and children aged 0-6 years had the highest intake of 102.8 pg/kg/day. Although the calculated health risk of antibiotic inhalation was low (HQ < 1), considering that exposure to antibiotics via inhalation occurs over long periods and these compounds accumulate, further attention should be given to health risks associated with this exposure. Our results provide valuable insight for environmental planning and policymaking concerning antibiotic pollution and its associated health risks.

Veterinary drugs and environmental pollutants can enter food animals and remain as residues in food chains threatening human food safety and health. Performing health risk and food safety assessments to derive safety levels of these xenobiotics can protect human health. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling is a mathematical tool to quantitatively describe chemical disposition in humans and animals informing human food safety and health risk assessments. However, few reviews focus on the application of PBPK models in food animals and discuss their relationship to human food safety and health risk assessments in the last five years (2020-2024). In this series of reviews, we introduce the methodology, recent progress and challenges of PBPK modeling in food animals. The present review is Part I of this series of reviews and it focuses on applications of PBPK models of veterinary drugs in food animals, whereas Part II is a companion review focusing on environmental chemicals. Advanced strategies of PBPK modeling in risk and food safety assessment, including population PBPK, interactive PBPK web dashboard, and generic PBPK are also summarized in Part I. Additionally, we share our perspective on the existing challenges and future direction for PBPK modeling of veterinary medicines in food animals.

Exposure to arsenic (As) and its metabolites can affect normal growth in children, but the combine effects at simultaneous low-level exposures, remain uncertain. Hence, this study aims to analyze how the combined effects of As and its metabolites can impact growth indicators in 1,792 US children aged 6-12 years, from the NHANES.

China's national air quality monitoring network has revealed a rapid improvement in air quality during the 2010s, during which fine particulate matter (PM) and other priority pollutant levels fell, except for ozone, which concurrently increased. However, recent changes in China's economic outlook mean that the future trajectory of China's air quality is highly uncertain. Here we analyse the last 10 years of air quality monitoring data to assess whether China's air quality has continued to improve in recent years. We find that the period of steep negative trends in PM observed during 2014-2019 (-2.47 µg m year) has ended, slowing to -0.18 µg m year during 2021-2024. Meanwhile, ozone levels continued to increase during 2021-2024, with a trend of 2.06 µg m year. We demonstrate that population PM exposure in China can be accurately constrained using only surface monitoring station data, and we use this to estimate future health impacts under three observationally-based future PM scenarios. We show that the current government PM reduction target is insufficient to sustain the decrease in PM-attributed mortality that was achieved during 2014-2019, and a ∼2 times more ambitious target is needed to offset the effects of China's ageing population.

Animal studies have linked prenatal poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposures with impaired placental structure and function. In humans, only few studies have investigated such associations.