The aim of this work was to assess the uptake of citrate-coated magnetite nanoparticles (NPs) by wheat plants and its effect on the bioaccumulation and toxicity of individual and joint Cd2+ and Cr6+ ...levels. Seven-day assays were conducted using quartz sand as the plant growth substrate. The endpoints measured were seed germination, root and shoot lengths, and heavy metal accumulation. Magnetite exhibited very low toxicity, regardless of the wheat seedling NP uptake and distribution into roots and shoots. The seed germination and shoot length were not sensitive enough, while the root length was a more sensitive toxicity endpoint. The root length of wheat seedlings exposed to individual metals decreased by 50% at 2.67mgCd2+kg−1 and 5.53mgCr6+kg−1. However, when magnetite NPs (1000mgkg−1) were added, the root length of the plants increased by 25 and 50%. Cd2+ and Cr6+ showed similar and noninteractive joint action, but strongly impaired the wheat seedlings. In contrast, an interactive infra-additive or antagonistic effect was observed upon adding magnetite NPs. Thus, cadmium and chromium accumulation in vegetable tissues was considerately diminished and the toxicity alleviated.
Display omitted
•We assessed the effect of nanomagnetite on heavy metal toxicity in wheat plants.•Citrate-coated magnetite nanoparticles (NPs) exerted very low toxicity to plants.•Cadmium was more toxic than chromium and toxicity was mitigated by magnetite NPs.•Cadmium and chromium had a similar and noninteractive joint action on plants.•Metals showed an interactive infra-additive joint effect by adding magnetite NPs.
The adsorption of As(III) on cobalt and manganese ferrite nanoparticles (NPs) was studied. The ferrite NPs were synthesized using the Massart-assisted microwave hydrothermal treatment. All the NPs ...exhibited the spinel structure with a formula such as M
x
Fe
3−
x
O
4
, where M = Co or Mn, and
x
runs from 0.21 to 1.14. The changes in the stoichiometry caused different effects on the physical properties as well on the As(III) adsorption capacity of the NPs. The adsorption data were fitted in very good agreement with the Freundlich model. It was concluded that As(III) was better attracted to ferrimagnetic cobalt ferrite NPs, given that the arsenic removal was significantly higher than that exhibited by superparamagnetic manganese-substituted ferrite NPs.
This work assessed the effect of soil amended with tannery sludge (0, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000
mg
Cr
kg
−1
soil), Cr
3+ as CrCl
3·6H
2O (0, 100, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000
mg
Cr
kg
−1
soil), and ...Cr
6+ as K
2Cr
2O
7 (0, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 500
mg
Cr
kg
−1
soil) on wheat, oat and sorghum plants.
Seed germination, seedling growth (root and shoot) and Cr accumulation in dry tissue were measured. Toxicological parameters; medium effective concentration, no observed adverse effect concentration and low observed adverse effect concentration were determined. Root growth was the most sensitive assessment of Cr toxicity (
P
<
0.05). There was a significant correlation (
P
<
0.0001) between Cr accumulation in dry tissue and toxic effects on seedling growth. The three Cr sources had different accumulation and mobility patterns; tannery sludge was less toxic for all three plant species, followed by CrCl
3·6H
2O and K
2Cr
2O
7.
The present research aimed to isolate the non-polar secondary metabolites that produce the vasodilator effects induced by the dichloromethane extract of Prunus serotina (P. serotina) fruits and to ...determine whether the NO/cGMP and the H2S/KATP channel pathways are involved in their mechanism of action. A bioactivity-directed fractionation of the dichloromethane extract of P. serotina fruits led to the isolation of ursolic acid and uvaol as the main non-polar vasodilator compounds. These compounds showed significant relaxant effect on rat aortic rings in an endothelium- and concentration-dependent manner, which was inhibited by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), DL-propargylglycine (PAG) and glibenclamide (Gli). Additionally, both triterpenes increased NO and H2S production in aortic tissue. Molecular docking studies showed that ursolic acid and uvaol are able to bind to endothelial NOS and CSE with high affinity for residues that form the oligomeric interface of both enzymes. These results suggest that the vasodilator effect produced by ursolic acid and uvaol contained in P. serotina fruits, involves activation of the NO/cGMP and H2S/KATP channel pathways, possibly through direct activation of NOS and CSE.
Gastric carcinoma (GC) with second primary malignancy (SPM) is the most frequent combination within the multiple primary malignancies (MPM) group. The presentation of a GC associated with a ...synchronized SPM in the kidney is extremely rare and unusual. This study presents a rare case of synchronous tumors, describes the main associated risk factors, and emphasizes the need to rule out SPM.
We present the case of a 63-year-old Hispanic woman with a history of smoking, weight loss, and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. GC was diagnosed by endoscopy, and during her workup for metastatic disease, a synchronous SPM was noted in the left kidney. The patient underwent resection of both tumors with a satisfactory postoperative course. A systematic review of the literature was performed using the Medline/PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. A search of the literature yielded 13 relevant articles, in which the following main risk factors were reported: the treatment utilized, the grade and clinical stage, histopathological report, and in some cases survival. It is concluded that advanced age (> 60 years) and smoking are the main associated risk factors.
Gastric carcinoma is the second most frequent neoplasm of the GI tract and the main neoplasm that presents a SPM. MPM screening is recommended in patients with gastric cancer. The clinical discovery of MPM of renal origin is rare and hence the importance of the current report.
•CZTS solar cells with and without Al2O3 very thin layer was used on the CZTS/CdS interface.•Al2O3 thin layer was deposited by thermal evaporation.•An increase in Voc with the use of thermally ...evaporated Al2O3 was demonstrated.•A band diagram of the structure CZTS/Al2O3/CdS/ZnO/ITO showed a difference on energy in VBO.
We report the effect of an ultra-thin Al2O3 layer (down to 3 nm) as interface passivation strategy for the improvement of the performance of Cu2ZnSnS4/CdS based solar cells. After an initial optimization, the Al2O3 deposited by thermal evaporation is proved to improve the properties of the p-n junction. The fabricated devices showed an increment in Voc depending on the composition of the absorber, and an improvement in fill factor (FF) apparently related to the insulation of possible shunt-paths. Also, the impact on other optoelectronic parameters is discussed.
PDF
