Evolutionary patterns and physicochemical properties explain macroinvertebrate sensitivity to heavy metals

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 1249-1259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Egina Malaj ◽  
Guillaume Guénard ◽  
Ralf B. Schäfer ◽  
Peter C. von der Ohe
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
O. I. Achieche ◽  
O. O. Njoku ◽  
C. M. Duru ◽  
M. O. Nwachukwu

The negative impact of gas flaring on the environment cannot be overemphasised. This study assessed the effect of gas flaring on the physicochemical properties and heavy metal contents in soils of Ebocha gas flaring site in Rivers State. It involved the assessment of various distances from gas flaring point to 200 meters away (50 m, 100 m, 150 m, and 200 m) which represents the extent of gas flared pollution on soils to determine the physicochemical properties and heavy metal load. The gas flaring significantly decreased soil organic carbon and calcium content when compared with non-gas flaring polluted soils. Soil acidity increased, soil exchangeable ions decreased. N, P and K were altered in gas flared soils when compared to the controls. There were detrimental effects on soils physicochemical properties. Heavy metals observed were Cd (Cadmium), Ni (Nickel), As (Arsenic), Cr (Chromium), while Pb (Lead) was not detected. The concentration of heavy metals in gas flared soils decreases down soil depth from 0-15 cm to 45-60 cm respectively. The gas flaring extremely caused the acidic nature of gas flared soils. Coefficient of variation (CV) in percentage shows significant increase in acidic nature of the gas flared soils when compared with the control soils.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jossana A. Damasco ◽  
Saisree Ravi ◽  
Joy D. Perez ◽  
Daniel E. Hagaman ◽  
Marites P. Melancon

Nanomedicine is a rapidly growing field that uses nanomaterials for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of various diseases, including cancer. Various biocompatible nanoplatforms with diversified capabilities for tumor targeting, imaging, and therapy have materialized to yield individualized therapy. However, due to their unique properties brought about by their small size, safety concerns have emerged as their physicochemical properties can lead to altered pharmacokinetics, with the potential to cross biological barriers. In addition, the intrinsic toxicity of some of the inorganic materials (i.e., heavy metals) and their ability to accumulate and persist in the human body has been a challenge to their translation. Successful clinical translation of these nanoparticles is heavily dependent on their stability, circulation time, access and bioavailability to disease sites, and their safety profile. This review covers preclinical and clinical inorganic-nanoparticle based nanomaterial utilized for cancer imaging and therapeutics. A special emphasis is put on the rational design to develop non-toxic/safe inorganic nanoparticle constructs to increase their viability as translatable nanomedicine for cancer therapies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Paul K. Essandoh ◽  
Mohammed Takase ◽  
Isaac Mbir Bryant

The quality of soils in rehabilitated small-scale mined sites needs thorough investigation since a lot of changes do occur. The study assessed the impacts of small-scale mining activities on concentration and distribution of soil physicochemical properties and heavy metals. The soil samples were collected from 120 (50 m × 50 m) plots. The concentrations of soil physicochemical properties (Ca, Mg, Na, N, P, K, and OC and EC) varied significantly ( p  < 0.05) between unmined and mined soils. However, there were no statistically, significant differences ( p  < 0.05) observed in the concentrations of Cd, Hg, Pb, As, and Cu between the unmined and mined soils. Despite the generally poor (33.8%) soil quality in the study area, mining activities further reduced it by 24.2%. Soils from mined sites with unfilled/partially filled pits had higher levels of K, Mg, and Na. As mined sites fallow period increased, concentrations of OC and Cd increased, while Ca, Mg, pH, Cu, Pb, and As and value of EC decreased. The number of years that mined land remained fallow, and whether the pits were filled or unfilled during this period should be factored into the mined land rehabilitation processes.


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