scholarly journals Do Freshwater Fish Eat Microplastics? A Review with a Focus on Effects on Fish Health and Predictive Traits of MPs Ingestion

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2214
Author(s):  
Silvia Galafassi ◽  
Claudia Campanale ◽  
Carmine Massarelli ◽  
Vito Felice Uricchio ◽  
Pietro Volta
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Emerging Pollutants ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Fish Health ◽  
Surrounding Water ◽  
Toxicological Effects ◽  
Different Tissues

Microplastics (MPs) have received increasing attention in the last decade and are now considered among the most concerning emerging pollutants in natural environments. Here, the current knowledge on microplastic ingestion by wild freshwater fish is reviewed with a focus on the identification of possible factors leading to the ingestion of MPs and the consequences on fish health. Within the literature, 257 species of freshwater fishes from 32 countries have been documented to ingest MPs. MPs ingestion was found to increase with rising level of urbanization, although a direct correlation with MPs concentration in the surrounding water has not been identified. MPs ingestion was detected in all the published articles, with MPs presence in more than 50% of the specimens analyzed in one study out of two. Together with the digestive tract, MPs were also found in the gills, and there is evidence that MPs can translocate to different tissues of the organism. Strong evidence, therefore, exists that MPs may represent a serious risk for ecosystems, and are a direct danger for human health. Moreover, toxicological effects have also been highlighted in wild catches, demonstrating the importance of this problem and suggesting the need for laboratory experiments more representative of the environmental situation.

scholarly journals Brain fag syndrome: a culture-bound syndrome that may be approaching extinction

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 156-161
Author(s):  
Oyedeji A. Ayonrinde ◽  
Chiedu Obuaya ◽  
Solomon Olusola Adeyemi
Keyword(s):  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
West African ◽  
Psychiatric Practice ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Place Of Birth ◽  
Somatic Disorders ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Aims and methodTo explore the current salience of ‘brain fag’ as a nosological, diagnostic and clinical construct in modern West African psychiatry. A semi-structured questionnaire and vignette based on classical symptoms of brain fag syndrome were used to explore current knowledge, explanatory models and practice among Nigerian psychiatrists.ResultsOf 102 psychiatrists who responded, 98% recognised the term ‘brain fag syndrome’ and most recognised the scenario presented. However, only 22% made a diagnosis of brain fag syndrome in their practice preferring diagnoses of anxiety, affective and somatic disorders.Clinical implicationsA decreasing number of Nigerian psychiatrists are making a diagnosis of ‘brain fag syndrome’. We found strong evidence of nosological and diagnostic decline in the syndrome in its place of birth. This may signal the early extinction of this disorder or nosological metamorphosis from a ‘culture-bound’ syndrome in West African psychiatric practice.

Catalogue of morphological scale deformities from 13 species of freshwater fish from the Kaniv Reservoir (Dnieper), Ukraine

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 1569
Author(s):  
Laith A. Jawad ◽  
Joacim Näslund ◽  
Jitka Rutkayová ◽  
Jana Nebesářová ◽  
Karel Beneš ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Fish Health ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Morphological Anomalies ◽  
Future Work

Among the morphological anomalies that have been reported in fish so far, abnormalities in scale shape and structure have been described from a limited number of species worldwide. The aim of the present study was to extend this knowledge by identifying and describing such scale abnormalities in freshwater fish from the Kaniv Reservoir, Ukraine. Scale deformities were common in most of the species investigated (Cyprinidae, 10 spp.; Percidae, 2 spp.; Esocidae, 1 sp.), with some differences in the number of cases among them. A wide variety of scale deformities was found, classified into two major categories, slight and severe. In all, 211 abnormal scales (172 slight and 39 severe deformities) were observed and described. The scale deformities described herein could help direct future work on the relationships between the condition of the environment and fish health.

scholarly journals Emerging contaminants : a tutorial mini-review

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-79 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Contaminants ◽  
Residue Analysis ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Emerging Pollutants ◽  
Environmental Issue ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Aquatic Environments ◽  
Contamination Source ◽  
Toxicological Effects ◽  
Reliable Methods

Nowadays, the scientific community has focused and prioritised research on “emerging pollutants”. The term “emerging pollutants” stands for the substances that are released in the environment for which currently no regulations are established for their environmental monitoring. Their occurrence is reported worldwide in a range of aquatic environments, such as lakes, rivers, freshwater catchments, estuaries, reservoirs and marine waters. Nevertheless, due to their large number (ranging in an order of thousands), only few of these compounds are toxicologically evaluated. Published data concerning occurrence and potential toxicological effects is limited. The contamination source of the aquatic environment is mainly the effluents from the sewage treatment plants (STPs). Reliable methods are available for residue analysis of these pollutants down to low ng L-1 levels. However, an urgent need is highlighted for the investigation (primarily in environmental media and following in biological ones) of the toxicity and transformation pathways of all emerging pollutants. The aims of this mini-review are to briefly present: (a) the major classes of emerging pollutants; (b) the reasons why these substances constitute an environmental issue; and (c) developments and applications of environmental analysis in this field.

scholarly journals Sex overrides mutation in Escherichia coli colonizing the gut

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Frazão ◽  
A. Sousa ◽  
M. Lässig ◽  
I. Gordo
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Experimental Evolution ◽  
Temporal Pattern ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Accelerate Evolution

AbstractBacteria evolve by mutation accumulation in laboratory experiments, but the tempo and mode of evolution in natural environments are largely unknown. Here we show, by experimental evolution of E. coli in the mouse gut, that the ecology of the gut controls bacterial evolution. If a resident E. coli strain is present in the gut, an invading strain evolves by rapid horizontal gene transfer; this mode precedes and outweighs evolution by point mutations. An epidemic infection by two phages drives gene uptake and produces multiple co-existing lineages of phage-carrying (lysogenic) bacteria. A minimal dynamical model explains the temporal pattern of phage epidemics and their complex evolutionary outcome as generic effects of phage-mediated selection. We conclude that phages are an important eco-evolutionary driving force – they accelerate evolution and promote genetic diversity of bacteria.One Sentence SummaryBacteriophages drive rapid evolution in the gut.

scholarly journals Importance of Dietary Phosphorus for Bone Metabolism and Healthy Aging

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 3001
Author(s):  
Juan Serna ◽  
Clemens Bergwitz
Keyword(s):  
Bone Metabolism ◽  
Inorganic Phosphate ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Atp Synthesis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Endocrine Regulation ◽  
Critical Function ◽  
Dietary Phosphorus ◽  
Different Tissues

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) plays a critical function in many tissues of the body: for example, as part of the hydroxyapatite in the skeleton and as a substrate for ATP synthesis. Pi is the main source of dietary phosphorus. Reduced bioavailability of Pi or excessive losses in the urine causes rickets and osteomalacia. While critical for health in normal amounts, dietary phosphorus is plentiful in the Western diet and is often added to foods as a preservative. This abundance of phosphorus may reduce longevity due to metabolic changes and tissue calcifications. In this review, we examine how dietary phosphorus is absorbed in the gut, current knowledge about Pi sensing, and endocrine regulation of Pi levels. Moreover, we also examine the roles of Pi in different tissues, the consequences of low and high dietary phosphorus in these tissues, and the implications for healthy aging.

The effects of hatchery and wild ancestry and experience on the relative ability of steelhead trout fry (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to avoid a benthic predator

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (11) ◽  
pp. 2476-2482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry A. Berejikian
Keyword(s):  
Oncorhynchus Mykiss ◽  
Predator Avoidance ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Test Period ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Steelhead Trout ◽  
Visual Exposure ◽  
Natural Stream ◽  
Relative Ability ◽  
Better Than

Differences in selection regimes between hatchery and natural environments and environmental stimuli, among other factors, have the potential to cause differences in predator avoidance ability between hatchery and wild steelhead trout fry (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In two separate laboratory experiments, fry raised from eggs of wild Quinault River steelhead trout survived predation by prickly sculpin (Cottus asper) significantly better than size-matched offspring of a locally derived hatchery population, which were reared under similar conditions. Wild fry also survived predation better than hatchery fry in natural stream enclosures over a 3-day test period. Experience, in the form of 50-min visual exposure to sculpin predation on "sacrificial" steelhead trout, improved the ability of fry from both populations to avoid predation by sculpin. Wild-experienced fry were eaten in the fewest number of trials followed by wild-naive, hatchery-experienced, and hatchery-naive fry. The results of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that innate predator avoidance ability has been negatively altered through domestication and that attempts to condition hatchery-reared steelhead to avoid predators may be limited for domesticated populations.

scholarly journals A critical analysis of the biological impacts of plasticizers on wildlife

2009 ◽  
Vol 364 (1526) ◽  
pp. 2047-2062 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg Oehlmann ◽  
Ulrike Schulte-Oehlmann ◽  
Werner Kloas ◽  
Oana Jagnytsch ◽  
Ilka Lutz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Dibutyl Phthalate ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Diethylhexyl Phthalate ◽  
Biological Impacts ◽  
Wildlife Populations ◽  
Disruption Effect

This review provides a critical analysis of the biological effects of the most widely used plasticizers, including dibutyl phthalate, diethylhexyl phthalate, dimethyl phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate and bisphenol A (BPA), on wildlife, with a focus on annelids (both aquatic and terrestrial), molluscs, crustaceans, insects, fish and amphibians. Moreover, the paper provides novel data on the biological effects of some of these plasticizers in invertebrates, fish and amphibians. Phthalates and BPA have been shown to affect reproduction in all studied animal groups, to impair development in crustaceans and amphibians and to induce genetic aberrations. Molluscs, crustaceans and amphibians appear to be especially sensitive to these compounds, and biological effects are observed at environmentally relevant exposures in the low ng l −1 to µg l −1 range. In contrast, most effects in fish (except for disturbance in spermatogenesis) occur at higher concentrations. Most plasticizers appear to act by interfering with the functioning of various hormone systems, but some phthalates have wider pathways of disruption. Effect concentrations of plasticizers in laboratory experiments coincide with measured environmental concentrations, and thus there is a very real potential for effects of these chemicals on some wildlife populations. The most striking gaps in our current knowledge on the impacts of plasticizers on wildlife are the lack of data for long-term exposures to environmentally relevant concentrations and their ecotoxicity when part of complex mixtures. Furthermore, the hazard of plasticizers has been investigated in annelids, molluscs and arthropods only, and given the sensitivity of some invertebrates, effects assessments are warranted in other invertebrate phyla.

Towards a process-based model to predict dune erosion along the Dutch Wadden coast

2012 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.G. Ruessink ◽  
M. Boers ◽  
P.F.C. van Geer ◽  
A.T.M. de Bakker ◽  
A. Pieterse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Breaking Waves ◽  
Sand Transport ◽  
Breaking Wave ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Erosion Model ◽  
Dune Erosion

AbstractAn equilibrium dune-erosion model is used every six years to assess the capability of the most seaward dune row on the Dutch Wadden islands to withstand a storm with a 1 in 10,000 probability for a given year. The present-day model is the culmination of numerous laboratory experiments with an initial cross-shore profile based on the central Netherlands coast. Large parts of the dune coast of the Wadden islands have substantially different dune and cross-shore profile characteristics than found along this central coast, related to the presence of tidal channels, ebb-tidal deltas, beach-plains and strong coastal curvature. This complicated coastal setting implies that the predictions of the dune-erosion model are sometimes doubtful; accordingly, a shift towards a process-based dune-erosion model has been proposed. A number of research findings based on recent laboratory and field studies highlight only few of the many challenges that need to be faced in order to develop and test such a model. Observations of turbulence beneath breaking waves indicate the need to include breaking-wave effects in sand transport equations, while current knowledge of infragravity waves, one of the main sand transporting mechanisms during severe storm conditions, is strongly challenged by laboratory and field observations on gently sloping beaches that are so typical of the Wadden islands. We argue that in-situ and remote-sensing field observations, laboratory experiments and numerical models need to be the pillars of Earth Scientific research in the Wadden Sea area to construct a meaningful process-based dune-erosion tool.

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