Mercury

A novel colorimetric and fluorogenic probe L based on hydrazine carbothioamide and 1,8-naphthalimide moieties has been designed and synthesized for the hypersensitive detection of Hg2+ or Ag+ ions. The observed probe L showed colorimetric and fluorometric responses for these studies when Hg2+ or Ag+ was added to the DMSO - HEPES buffer solution (pH = 7). An interference test with other metal ions was determined, and the high selectivity of Hg2+ and Ag+ did not interfere with other metal ions in colorimetric and fluorogenic methods...

Cisplatin is widely employed for cancer treatment; therefore, understanding resistance to this drug is critical for therapeutic practice. While studies have delved into differential gene expression in the context of cisplatin resistance, findings remain somewhat scant. We performed a comprehensive investigation of Transposable Elements (TEs) expression and their impact in host genes in two cisplatin-treated ovarian cancer cell lines. RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, and in-depth bioinformatics analysis were used to compare cisplatin-sensitive and -resistant ovarian cancer cell lines...

Mercury levels of Nile perch fillets to be exported from selected fish processing industries in Uganda were determined by hot digestion in strong acids, followed by analysing the extracts with Inductive Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). There was a clear link between atmospheric mercury and methylmercury accumulation in fish tissues, thus exposing a possible threat for human health. A quantitative cross-sectional study design was undertaken from two fish processing factories around Kampala city. Simple random sampling was utilised where ten fish products were picked for analysis...

Within the medical field of human assisted reproductive technology, a method for interpretable, non-invasive, and objective oocyte evaluation is lacking. To address this clinical gap, a workflow utilizing machine learning techniques has been developed involving automatic multi-class segmentation of two-dimensional images, morphometric analysis, and prediction of developmental outcomes of mature denuded oocytes based on feature extraction and clinical variables. Two separate models have been developed for this purpose-a model to perform multiclass segmentation, and a classifier model to classify oocytes as likely or unlikely to develop into a blastocyst (Day 5-7 embryo)...

BACKGROUND: Trace levels of organic and inorganic lead and mercury species in the environment, including divalent lead (Pb2+ ), trimethyllead (TML), divalent mercury (Hg2+ ), monomethylmercury (MeHg), and ethylmercury (EtHg), are highly toxic to humans and ecology. It is of great importance for speciation of lead and mercury to evaluate the toxicity of lead and mercury and their biogeochemistry in the environment. However, simultaneous multi-elemental enrichment and speciation at trace level remains a challenge...

2-(((5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)imino)methyl)phenol (MTP) was synthesized, self-assembled on the surface of gold (Au) electrode (Au-MTP) followed by characterization using Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). CV and EIS confirmed the formation of well-organized Au-MTP SAM free from defects and pinholes. Au-MTP was further utilized as a platform for sensing of Hg2+ using EIS. The results showed sensitive and selective response of Au-MTP towards Hg2+ in the linear concentration range from 1...

The issue of mercury (Hg) toxicity has recently been identified as a significant environmental concern, with the potential to impede plant growth in forested and agricultural areas. Conversely, recent reports have indicated that Fe, may play a role in alleviating HM toxicity in plants. Therefore, this study's objective is to examine the potential of iron nanoparticles (Fe NPs) and various sources of Fe, particularly iron sulfate (Fe SO4 or Fe S) and iron-ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (Fe - EDTA or Fe C), either individually or in combination, to mitigate the toxic effects of Hg on Pleioblastus pygmaeus...

A novel cost-effective disposable porous graphene electrode (P-GE) modified with bismuth nanoneedles (nano-BiNDs) is proposed as a "mercury-free" sensor for detecting heavy metals through smartphone-assisted electrochemical sensing. The P-GE was fabricated using screen-printing. Nano-BiNDs were generated on the P-GE by potentiostatic electrodeposition. Using an optimal potential of -1.20 V (vs. pseudo-Ag/AgCl) and a deposition time of 200 s, the nano-BiNDs had an average length and width of 189 ± 5 nm and 20 ± 2 nm, respectively...

This work evaluated the 25-year-long trends (1994-2018) in mercury (Hg) concentrations and fluxes in spruce litterfall at a forest research plot Načetín (NAC) recovering from acidic deposition in the Ore Mountains, Czech Republic. The mean litterfall Hg deposition averaged 51 ± 18 µg m-2  year-1 , which has been the highest litterfall Hg deposition reported up to date on the European continent. In contrast, the wet deposition (2017-2019) was an order of magnitude lower averaging at 2...

Mercury (Hg) is a prevalent and harmful contaminant that persists in the environment. For phytoremediation, it is important to discover which plants can bioaccumulate meaningful amounts of Hg while also tolerating its toxicity. Additionally, increasing biodiversity could create a more resilient and self-sustaining system for remediation. This study explores whether mixed populations of Lemna minor and Spirodela polyrhiza can better bioaccumulate and tolerate Hg than monocultures. Mono- and mixed cultures of L...

PURPOSE: Tildrakizumab is a selective inhibitor of IL-23 approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in two dosages. We conducted a 16-week multicenter retrospective study to compare the effectiveness and safety of tildrakizumab 200 mg versus tildrakizumab 100 mg in patients with a high disease burden or high body weight. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our retrospective study included 134 patients treated with tildrakizumab 200 mg and 364 patients treated with tildrakizumab 100 mg from 28 Italian Dermatology Units affected by moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis...

Mercury (Hg) methylation is a microbially mediated process that produces methylmercury (MeHg), a bioaccumulative neurotoxin. A highly conserved gene pair, hgcAB, is required for Hg methylation, which provides a basis for identifying Hg methylators and evaluating their genomic composition. In this study, we conducted a large-scale omics analysis in which 281 metagenomic freshwater and marine sediment samples from 46 geographic locations across the globe were queried. Specific objectives were to examine the prevalence of Hg methylators, to identify horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events involving hgcAB within Hg methylator communities, and to identify associations between hgcAB and microbial biochemical functions/genes...

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) play pivotal roles in the biotransformation of mercury (Hg). However, unrevealed global responses of SRB to Hg have restricted our understanding of details of Hg biotransformation processes. The absence of protein-protein interaction (PPI) network under Hg stimuli has been a bottleneck of proteomic analysis for molecular mechanisms of Hg transformation. This study constructed the first comprehensive PPI network of SRB in response to Hg, encompassing 67 connected nodes, 26 independent nodes, and 121 edges, covering 93% of differentially expressed proteins from both previous studies and this study...

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is crucial to the livelihoods of close to 20 million people in over 80 countries, including 4-5 million women, mainly in rural areas with limited alternative economic prospects, particularly in developing countries. ASGM is largely informal, which can add to the challenge of addressing negative social and environmental effects including impacts on biodiversity. However, with proper guidance, ASGM can operate in a responsible manner, using cleaner production methods that minimize impacts on human health and the environment...

Mercury cycling in coastal metropolitan areas on the west coast of India becomes complex due to the combined effects of both intensive domestic anthropogenic emissions and marine air masses. The present study is based on yearlong data of continuous measurements of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) concentration concurrent with meteorological parameters and some air pollutants at a coastal urban site in Mumbai, on the west coast of India, for the first time. The concentration of GEM was found in a range between 2...

Aclinical and immunological examination of men with occupational pathology, including vibration disease (VD), occupational sensorineural hearing loss (SHL), and chronic mercury intoxication (CMI), was carried out. The comparison group consisted of men comparable in age and total work experience. Serum concentrations of neurotrophins (S100β, MBP, BDNF) and antibodies (ABs) to S100β and MBP proteins were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. An increase in the level of the S100β protein was shown in CMI, VD, and a tendency for its increase was found in SHL...

BACKGROUND: The effects of consuming hemp seed protein (HSP) as well as its hydrolysate-derived bioactive peptide (HSP+) on blood pressure (BP) has not to our knowledge been investigated in humans. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate how consumption of HSP and its hydrolysate modulates 24-hr systolic and diastolic BP (24-hrSBP and 24-hrDBP) and plasma biomarkers of BP compared to casein. DESIGN: In a double-blind, randomized, cross-over design trial, 35 adults who had mild hypertension with SBP between 130 and 160 millimeters of mercury (mmHg), and DBP ≤110 mmHg were recruited...

Cellulose-based adsorbents have been extensively developed in heavy metal capture and wastewater treatment. However, most of the reported powder adsorbents suffer from the difficulties in recycling due to their small sizes and limitations in detecting the targets for the lack of sensitive sensor moieties in the structure. Accordingly, carbon dots (CDs) were proposed to be encapsulated in cellulosic hydrogel beads to realize the simultaneous detection and adsorption of Hg (II) in water due to their excellent fluorescence sensing performance...

IMPORTANCE: Infants who are born preterm often experience difficulty transitioning from full tube to independent oral feeds, which often prolongs their hospital stay. No clinical measures associated with attainment of independent oral feeds are currently available. OBJECTIVE: To identify specific nutritive sucking measures associated with time to attainment of independent oral feeds among infants who are born preterm. DESIGN: An observational cohort pilot study was undertaken...

INTRODUCTION: Neural epidermal growth factor like 1 membranous nephropathy (NELL1 MN) is associated with various secondary etiologies. However, previous studies on the frequency of these associations and their impact on outcomes are limited. We report a large multiinstitutional series of patients with NELL1 MN with a focus on secondary associations, pathology findings, and their impact on outcome. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinicopathologic features of NELL1 MN from 3 institutions and analyzed clinical and histologic associations with outcome...