Article
Environmental Sciences
Alicia Sanchez, Pilar Rodriguez-Viso, Adrian Domene, Helena Orozco, Dinoraz Velez, Vicenta Devesa
Summary: The increasing use of plastic materials generates a significant amount of waste, a portion of which is in the form of microplastics present in the aquatic environment. These microplastics have entered the food chain and have been found in fishery products, drinking water, and sea salt among other foods. Currently, there is insufficient data to accurately assess the risks associated with dietary exposure to microplastics, and the lack of robust methodologies is a major problem. Limited information is available regarding the occurrence of microplastics in sources such as drinking water and food, human intake, toxicokinetics, and long-term toxicity.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Lucrezia Borriello, Marcello Scivicco, Nunzio Antonio Cacciola, Francesco Esposito, Lorella Severino, Teresa Cirillo
Summary: Plastic production has grown rapidly, leading to the formation of microplastics. These microplastics are bioavailable to many organisms and can reach humans through the food chain. In addition to the risks from ingesting microplastics themselves, there are also risks associated with the substances they carry and the additives added to plastics. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification can cause cumulative exposure effects for organisms at the top of the food chain and humans. The potential adverse effects of this emerging contaminant are still unclear.
Review
Environmental Sciences
M. Dewika, Kalaimani Markandan, N. Ahmad Irfan, Muhammad Amirul Aizat Mohd Abdah, J. Nor Ruwaida, Y. Y. Sara, Mohammad Khalid
Summary: The global concern over microplastics pollution has increased in the past decade. People spend most of their time indoors, leading to higher exposure to microplastic contamination from sources such as settled dust, air, drinking water, and food. Although research on indoor microplastics has grown, comprehensive reviews on this topic are still limited. This review analyzes the occurrence, distribution, human exposure, potential health impact, and mitigation strategies of microplastics in the indoor air environment. It emphasizes the risks associated with finer microplastics that can enter the circulatory system and other organs, highlighting the need for further research to develop effective strategies for reducing exposure risks. Overall, our findings suggest that indoor microplastics pose potential risks to human health, and more efforts should be made to mitigate exposure.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Gustavo Axel Elizalde-Velazquez, Leobardo Manuel Gomez-Olivan
Summary: Microplastics, which are fragments, fibers, granules, flakes, and spheres with a diameter or length of less than 5 mm, can enter aquatic environments through the breakdown of larger plastics or sewage spillage. Once in the environment, they may be transported via wind and water movement, posing a threat to aquatic organisms and potentially affecting human health. Research focuses on the distribution of microplastics in global aquatic ecosystems, their impact on aquatic organisms, and the potential toxic effects on humans.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Qianhui Lin, Shasha Zhao, Lihua Pang, Cuizhu Sun, Lingyun Chen, Fengmin Li
Summary: This study critically evaluates the data on microplastics in processed foods and conducts a preliminary risk assessment. The results show that the risk posed by microplastics in processed foods is limited, with lower intake in adults compared to children. A correlation is found between the pollution load of sea salts and the level of microplastic pollution in ambient seawater.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Richard S. Quilliam, Chloe J. Pow, Dativa J. Shilla, James J. Mwesiga, Daniel A. Shilla, Luke Woodford
Summary: Mulching, seed coatings, and irrigation with wastewater or contaminated surface water have led to the widespread presence of plastics and microplastics in agricultural soils. These plastics quickly become colonized by microbial biofilms, including human pathogens. This 'plastisphere' may facilitate the transfer of pathogens to crops, especially as microplastics are difficult to remove from ready-to-eat crops. It is important to prioritize the study of the potential transfer of human pathogens from the plastisphere to plants, as the concentration of plastics in agricultural soils is increasing globally.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
John Onolame Unuofin, Aboi Igwaran
Summary: Plastics particulates, especially microplastics, are gradually getting into the human body, with seafood being the most critical source of exposure. However, the lack of literature on this issue hinders progress in risk assessment and control measures. Therefore, this study aims to update knowledge on known trends and explore unknown factors that are critical for seafood safety and human well-being.
JOURNAL OF SEA RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Giuseppina Zuri, Angeliki Karanasiou, Silvia Lacorte
Summary: This review provides an overview of the current human biomonitoring data available on microplastics (MPs), which are plastic particles ubiquitous in water, soil, and air. The review compiles 91 relevant studies and highlights that humans are exposed to MPs through ingestion and inhalation. The health risks associated with MPs exposure include inflammation, oxidative stress, and DNA damage, potentially leading to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as cancer.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Debasis Sau, Tumpa Hazra, Amit Shiuly
Summary: The paper focuses on the occurrence, characterization, and analytical methods of microplastic (MP) pollution in the lentic environment, specifically in India. It discusses the flow of MP from plastic waste using a material flow diagram and compares the quantity, morphology, and polymers of MP in water and sediments from different states. The paper also examines the factors affecting MP concentrations in the lentic environment and their impacts on the ecosystem and human health. Additionally, it explores the influence of socioeconomic conditions on MP concentrations in different Indian states and proposes methods for controlling plastic waste generation to prevent MP pollution in lentic environments.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Kirsty Blackburn, Dannielle Green
Summary: Microplastic contamination is widespread in aquatic and terrestrial environments, with potential biological effects on human health including immune and stress responses, as well as reproductive and developmental toxicity. Further research is needed to fully understand the implications of this recent environmental contaminant.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kushani Perera, Shima Ziajahromi, Susan Bengtson Nash, Frederic D. L. Leusch
Summary: Studies have shown that airborne microplastics (AMPs) are more abundant indoors than outdoors. This study measured the AMP concentrations in different indoor locations and found that childcare centers had the highest concentration, followed by offices and schools, while vehicles had the lowest concentration, comparable to outdoor levels.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anne Aries, Celine Zanetti, Philippe Henon, Bernard Drenou, Rachid Lahlil
Summary: Injecting ex vivo monitored human CD34(+) stem cells into myocardial scar tissue has shown real benefits for patients recovering from myocardial infarctions. However, debates on the potential efficacy of these stem cells in cardiac regenerative therapies remain. This study aimed to elucidate the levels of CD34(+) stem cell implication in cardiac regeneration and identified main regulators and genes involved in their differentiation and secretion processes. The findings showed that stimulated CD34(+) stem cells have the capacity to express cardiac markers and could potentially be primed towards cardiovascular cells.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Barbara Urban-Malinga, Magdalena Jakubowska, Marcin Bialowas
Summary: The study found that the survival rate of bivalve species in sediment amended with microplastics was high, with no significant impact on their body condition and energy reserves. However, some behavioral alterations were observed, suggesting a potential influence of microplastics on their activity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Damaris Benny Daniel, P. Muhamed Ashraf, Saly N. Thomas, K. T. Thomson
Summary: This study investigated the presence of microplastics in the edible tissues of four species of shellfishes, finding microplastic particles in each sample with significant species variation in contamination levels. The results suggest a potential annual dietary intake of microplastics by shellfish consumers, depending on species consumed and gut removal.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiaen Wu, Hao Chen, Jiawei Xu, Muhammad Saif Ur Rahman, Shengmei Li, Jie Wang, Shifen Huang, Charles C. Han, Shanshan Xu, Ying Liu
Summary: This review categorizes the potential health risks of microplastic pollution by focusing on the three primary pollution sources. It provides an in-depth analysis of the pharmacokinetics, toxicity potential, and biological mechanism of microplastics in the human body. The review aims to fill knowledge gaps about the toxicity of microplastics on human health and provide ideas for repairing the damage caused by microplastics.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Gautam Kok, Monique M. A. Verstegen, Roderick H. J. Houwen, Edward E. S. Nieuwenhuis, Herold J. Metselaar, Wojciech G. Polak, Luc J. W. van der Laan, Eric Spierings, Caroline M. den Hoed, Sabine A. Fuchs
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching and liver transplantation outcomes. The results showed that HLA matching is not necessary for liver transplantation for nonautoimmune disease. However, HLA matching may affect the risk of acute rejection and graft loss for patients with autoimmune disease.
LIVER TRANSPLANTATION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Gilles S. van Tienderen, Oskar Rosmark, Ruby Lieshout, Jorke Willemse, Floor de Weijer, Linda Elowsson Rendin, Gunilla Westergren-Thorsson, Michail Doukas, Bas Groot Koerkamp, Martin E. van Royen, Luc J. W. van der Laan, Monique M. A. Verstegen
Summary: Patient-derived tumor organoids were combined with native tumor and liver scaffolds through decellularization to study the interaction between tumor cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM). The use of decellularized scaffolds resulted in a more accurate representation of the in vivo tumor environment and increased chemoresistance. This method also revealed environment-dependent proliferation dynamics and stimulated the production of collagen types.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Ruby Lieshout, Eline J. C. A. Kamp, Monique M. A. Verstegen, Michail Doukas, Winand N. M. Dinjens, Kubra Koten, Jan N. M. IJzermans, Marco J. Bruno, Maikel P. Peppelenbosch, Luc J. W. van der Laan, Annemarie C. de Vries
Summary: This study reveals that primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)-related cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cells have a higher proliferation rate compared to sporadic CCA cells. The cytokine IL-17A, which is related to inflammation, stimulates the proliferation of CCA cells and may contribute to the high proliferation rate in PSC-CCA. IL-17A represents a potential therapeutic target for (PSC-)CCA.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yue Liu, Xiaobing Chen, Jianchen Zhao, Wenjie Jin, Kun Zhang, Jiao Qu, Ya-nan Zhang, Guangchao Chen, Willie J. G. M. Peijnenburg
Summary: Organic compounds can generate hydroxyl radicals (OH) through excited triplet states, and investigating their generation mechanism and quantum yield is crucial for understanding indirect photochemical processes in the environment. In this study, the OH quantum yields of 20 organic compounds were determined experimentally and a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model was developed to predict the yields for organic pollutants. The results indicate that electron distribution and electronegativity of organic compounds are the main factors determining OH generation.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-PROCESSES & IMPACTS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Thalea Schlender, Markus Viljanen, Jan N. van Rijn, Felix Mohr, Willie J. G. M. Peijnenburg, Holger H. Hoos, Emiel Rorije, Albert Wong
Summary: Toxicological information on chemical compounds is often limited, so alternative methods like quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models are preferred to infer toxicity. In this study, we benchmark various state-of-the-art meta-learning techniques for building QSAR models, focusing on knowledge sharing between species. Our experiments show that established knowledge-sharing techniques outperform single-task approaches, and we recommend the use of multi-task random forest models for aquatic toxicity modeling in low-resource settings.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Marjolein J. M. ten Dam, Geert W. J. Frederix, Renske M. T. ten Ham, Luc J. W. van der Laan, Kerstin Schneeberger
Summary: Due to a shortage of suitable donor livers, alternative treatments for end-stage liver disease need to be explored. Recent advances in organoid technology show potential for cell therapy and tissue engineering approaches as a solution.
Article
Immunology
Ruslan A. Mammadov, Jasmijn W. Selten, Henk P. Roest, Cornelia J. Verhoeven, Luca Maroni, Sandra I. Bril, Dagmar Tolenaars, Pravesh S. Gadjradj, Stan F. J. van de Graaf, Ronald P. J. Oude Elferink, Jaap Kwekkeboom, Herold J. Metselaar, Maikel P. Peppelenbosch, Ulrich Beuers, Jan N. M. IJzermans, Luc J. W. van der Laan
Summary: In this study, it was found that there is a potential link between intestinal bacteremia and rPSC after LT, which is related to the nonsecretor variant of the FUT2 gene.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fan Zhang, Zhuang Wang, Willie J. G. M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver
Summary: Research on theoretical prediction methods for the mixture toxicity of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) is challenging. In this study, we used machine learning techniques and experimental data to predict the combined toxicity of metallic ENPs for Escherichia coli. The developed QSAR models performed better than the component-based models and could provide a basis for the ecological risk assessment of ENP mixtures.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Kailun Sun, Jason C. White, Hao Qiu, Cornelis A. M. van Gestel, Willie J. G. M. Peijnenburg, Erkai He
Summary: In this study, a coelomocyte-based in vivo exposure strategy combined with lipidomics and transcriptomics was used to identify the potential risks of MoS2 nanosheets on earthworms. The results showed that nontransformed MoS2 nanosheets inhibited genes related to transmembrane transport and caused differential upregulation of phospholipid content, while UV-transformed MoS2 nanosheets specifically upregulated glyceride metabolism and lipid peroxidation degree. Pathology image quantification demonstrated that UV-transformed MoS2 nanosheets caused more severe epithelial damage and intestinal steatosis compared to nontransformed ones. This study revealed differential adverse outcome pathways and demonstrated the potential of lipidomics analysis for accurate soil risk assessment of emerging contaminants.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuchao Song, Vivi Rottschaefer, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J. G. M. Peijnenburg
Summary: The dissolution of nanoparticles (NPs) is crucial for the safety assessment and risk assessment of NPs. This research collected secondary data on NP dissolution and developed a model to calculate dissolution rate constants based on initial dissolution kinetics and pseudo-first order reaction kinetics. The information obtained from characterizing dissolution rates and parameters can be used for grouping NPs and developing predictive models for newly developed nanomaterials.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-NANO
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Fazel Abdolahpur Monikh, Willie Peijnenburg, Agnes G. Oomen, Eugenia Valsami-Jones, Vicki Stone, Raine Kortet, Jarkko Akkanen, Peng Zhang, Jukka Kekalainen, Alena Sevcu, Jussi V. K. Kukkonen
Summary: This paper provides an overview of the definition, categorization, challenges, and prospects of advanced materials (AdMas) in toxicology. Solutions for addressing AdMas are proposed, including the development of legal frameworks considering human and environmental risks and the use of classification to facilitate the identification of hazards associated with new AdMas.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-ADVANCES
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Immunology
I. J. Schurink, J. Willemse, S. H. Luijmes, F. H. de Goeij, P. C. Groen, E. H. Kucukerbil, M. M. Pascale, S. Shi, W. G. Polak, L. J. van der Laan, J. de Jonge
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jeroen B. Guinee, Reinout Heijungs, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J. G. M. Peijnenburg, Gara Villalba Mendez
Summary: This article explores the definitions and uses of terms such as chemical, material, product, and life cycle in the context of Safe by Design and Safe and Sustainable by Design. The study found consistent but confusing usage of these terms in scholarly literature, as well as the identification of four types of life cycles. By defining the terms product, material, and chemical consistently, the four types of life cycles were reduced to three distinctive types.
