We investigated microplastics in the digestive tracts of 64 Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) sampled in Tokyo Bay. Plastic was detected in 49 out of 64 fish (77%), with 2.3 pieces on average ...and up to 15 pieces per individual. All of the plastics were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Most were polyethylene (52.0%) or polypropylene (43.3%). Most of the plastics were fragments (86.0%), but 7.3% were beads, some of which were microbeads, similar to those found in facial cleansers. Eighty percent of the plastics ranged in size from 150 μm to 1000 μm, smaller than the reported size range of floating microplastics on the sea surface, possibly because the subsurface foraging behavior of the anchovy reflected the different size distribution of plastics between surface waters and subsurface waters. Engraulis spp. are important food for many humans and other organisms around the world. Our observations further confirm that microplastics have infiltrated the marine ecosystem, and that humans may be exposed to them. Because microplastics retain hazardous chemicals, increase in fish chemical exposure by the ingested plastics is of concern. Such exposure should be studied and compared with that in the natural diet.
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement-positive non-small-cell lung cancers can be effectively treated with an ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) such as crizotinib, but the response ...magnitude and duration are heterogeneous. Several ALK variants have been identified, but few studies have focused on the effects of different ALK variants on the efficacy of crizotinib.
Among 55 patients treated with crizotinib as the initial ALK-TKI between January 2007 and December 2014, we identified 35 patients with tumor specimens that could be evaluated for ALK variants by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of crizotinib on the basis of the objective response rate and progression-free survival (PFS) according to the ALK variants.
The most frequent ALK variant was variant 1 in 19 patients (54%), followed by variant 2 in five patients (14%), variant 3a/3b in four patients (12%), and other variants in seven patients (20%). Objective response rate was 69% in all patients, whereas it was 74% and 63% in the variant 1 and non-variant 1 groups, respectively. The median PFS time was significantly longer in patients with variant 1 than in those with non-variant 1 (median PFS, 11.0 months 95% CI, 6.5 to 43.0 months v 4.2 months 95% CI, 1.6 to 10.2 months, respectively; P < .05). Multivariable analysis identified two significant factors associated with PFS duration, ALK variant 1 (hazard ratio, 0.350; 95% CI, 0.128 to 0.929; P < .05) and advanced stage (hazard ratio, 4.646; 95% CI, 1.381 to 21.750; P < .05).
Our results indicate the better efficacy of crizotinib in patients with ALK variant 1 versus non-variant 1. The ALK variant status might affect the efficacy of ALK-TKIs.
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► Short-tailed shearwaters were analyzed for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). ► BDE209 and BDE183 were detected in abdominal adipose of 3 of 12 seabirds. ► Plastics in the ...stomachs of the 3 seabirds contained BDE209 and BDE183. ► BDE209 and BDE183 were not detected in natural prey of the shearwaters. ► Transfer of plastic-derived chemicals (BDE209 and BDE183) was suggested.
We analyzed polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in abdominal adipose of oceanic seabirds (short-tailed shearwaters, Puffinus tenuirostris) collected in northern North Pacific Ocean. In 3 of 12 birds, we detected higher-brominated congeners (viz., BDE209 and BDE183), which are not present in the natural prey (pelagic fish) of the birds. The same compounds were present in plastic found in the stomachs of the 3 birds. These data suggested the transfer of plastic-derived chemicals from ingested plastics to the tissues of marine-based organisms.
Our previous study suggested the transfer of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants from ingested plastics to seabirds’ tissues. To understand how the PBDEs are transferred, we studied ...leaching from plastics into digestive fluids. We hypothesized that stomach oil, which is present in the digestive tract of birds in the order Procellariiformes, acts as an organic solvent, facilitating the leaching of hydrophobic chemicals. Pieces of plastic compounded with deca-BDE were soaked in several leaching solutions. Trace amounts were leached into distilled water, seawater, and acidic pepsin solution. In contrast, over 20 times as much material was leached into stomach oil, and over 50 times as much into fish oil (a major component of stomach oil). Analysis of abdominal adipose, liver tissue, and ingested plastics from 18 wild seabirds collected from the North Pacific Ocean showed the occurrence of deca-BDE or hexa-BDEs in both the tissues and the ingested plastics in three of the birds, suggesting transfer from the plastic to the tissues. In birds with BDE209 in their tissues, the dominance of BDE207 over other nona-BDE isomers suggested biological debromination at the meta position. Model calculation of PBDE exposure to birds based on the results of the leaching experiments combined with field observations suggested the dominance of plastic-mediated internal exposure to BDE209 over exposure via prey.
Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues. Recycling is a potential means of reducing plastic pollution in the environment. However, plastic fragments are still ...likely released to the aquatic environment during mechanical recycling processes. Here, we examined the plastic inputs and effluent outputs of three mechanical recycling facilities in Vietnam dealing with electronic, bottle, and household plastic waste, and we found that large quantities of microplastics (plastics <5 mm in length) are generated and released to the aquatic environment during mechanical recycling without proper treatment. Comparisons with literature data for microplastics in wastewater treatment plant effluents and surface water indicated that mechanical recycling of plastic waste is likely a major point source of microplastics pollution. Although there is a mismatch between the size of the microplastics examined in the present study and the predicted no-effect concentration reported, it is still possible that microplastics generated at facilities pose risks to the aquatic environment because there might be many plastic particulates smaller than 315 μm, as suggested by our obtained size distributions. With mechanical recycling likely to increase as we move to a circular plastics economy, greater microplastics emissions can be expected. It is therefore an urgent need to fully understand not only the scale of microplastic generation and release from plastic mechanical recycling but also the environmental risk posed by microplastics in the aquatic environment.
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•Mechanical recycling without wastewater treatment was at least a source of microplastic.•Effluent microplastic concentrations were from 1.1 × 105–2.0 × 108 MP particulates/m3.•Annual microplastic emissions from these facilities were from 0.014 to 5.8 t/year.
Nanoplastics are likely ubiquitous in the environment, and their potential toxic effects are a concern. However, quantitative information about the distribution of nanoplastics is still lacking, and ...toxicity tests are limited to a few select polymers because of the lack of appropriate standard materials, which should be nanoscale particles with standardizable morphologies, properties comparable to those of commercial polymers, and no impurities. Here, a precipitation‐based method for preparing spherical nanoscale particles without the introduction of impurities is developed. The similarity of the molecular weight distributions, crystallinities, and thermal properties of five major polymers prepared using this method—low‐density polyethylene, high‐density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polystyrene—to those of commercial polymers indicate their potential for use as standard nanoplastic particles. This study provides a fundamental approach for the synthesis of standard nanoplastic particles that will facilitate quantification of the concentrations of nanoplastics in the environment and tests of their toxicity, which are required to assess the risks associated with exposure to them.
This paper reports precipitation‐based methods for preparing spherical nanoscale particles of five major polymers—low‐density polyethylene, high‐density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polystyrene—without the introduction of impurities. Subsequent analysis reveals their potential for use as standard nanoplastic particles that could facilitate quantification of the concentrations of nanoplastics in the environment and determination of their toxicity.
The risk of marine organisms ingesting plastics has become a growing concern due to hazard chemicals in plastics. To identify compounds to which seabirds potentially have substantial exposure, 194 ...plastics fragments and pellets ingested by seabirds, i.e., northern fulmars from the Faroe Islands, and laysan albatross and black-footed albatross from Mukojima Island, were analyzed piece by piece. Four kinds of UV stabilizers, 2 brominated flame retardants, and styrene oligomers were detected at detection frequencies of 4.6%, 2.1%, and 2.1%, respectively. Concentrations ranging from not detected (n.d.) – 1700 μg/g were measured for UV stabilizers, n.d. – 1100 μg/g for flame retardants, and n.d. – 3200 μg/g for styrene oligomers. We found that these chemicals could be retained in plastics during drifting and fragmentation in the ocean and transported to seabirds. This type of transport via plastics can be direct pathway that introduces hazardous compounds to marine organisms.
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•Non-target screening analysis of 194 plastics detected various chemicals.•Four UV stabilizers, 2 flame retardants, and 1 manufacturing byproduct were quantified.•These chemicals are likely to be exposed to seabirds through plastic ingestion.•Chemicals with log Kow values of 5.6–10 posed high potential of exposure.
PCBs and PBDEs in microplastics and zooplankton collected in surface water at 27 locations in the Pacific Ocean and around the coast of Japan were investigated. Both PCBs and PBDEs were observed in ...buoyant microplastics, even in smaller particles of 0.315–1 mm. Concentrations of Σ13 PCBs were 0.04–124 ng/g, and were higher in urban bay areas such as Tokyo Bay. Sporadic moderate to high concentrations of PBDEs were observed in both urban-offshore and rural-offshore locations, consisting mostly of higher-brominated congeners. From the latter, BDE 209 ranged from not detected to 2158 ng/g. The microplastic-to-zooplankton abundance ratio threshold was 0.6 for PCBs and 0.08 for PBDEs, above which exposure would be greater from microplastics than from zooplankton.
•PCBs and PBDEs in microplastics and zooplankton in surface water were investigated.•Both contaminants were observed in buoyant microplastics as small as 0.315–1 mm.•PCBs were higher in urban bay areas compared to off shore samples.•Sporadic high PBDEs were observed in off shore samples–mostly higher BDE congeners.•Microplastic-to-zooplankton abundance ratio thresholds for PCB = 0.6 and PBDEs =0.08
Small for gestational age (SGA) infants have an increased risk for neonatal mortality and morbidities. However, few studies have examined the risk of large for gestational age (LGA) on these factors. ...We compared the risk of mortality and morbidities in LGA premature infants with those of appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants.
Premature infants who were born between 2003 and 2012 at <26 weeks of gestational age were included. Relative risks of mortality and morbidities were evaluated between LGA and AGA infants.
From 6898 extremely premature infants, 357 (5.2%), 5530 (80.2%), and 1011 (14.7%) were LGA, AGA, and SGA, respectively. A total of 5887 infants (5530 AGA and 357 LGA) were examined after excluding infants with congenital anomalies, unknown sex, and deficient data. The risk of mortality in LGA and AGA infants did not differ (relative risk (95% confidence interval) 1.04 (0.83-1.32)). Compared to AGA infants, LGA infants did not increase the risk of morbidities, including intraventricular hemorrhage, cystic periventricular leukomalacia, treated retinopathy of prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
This study demonstrates that being born LGA does not correlate with an increased risk of mortality and morbidities in extremely premature infants.
It is currently unknown if being large for gestational age is a risk for neonatal morbidity. A total of 6898 preterm infants born <26 weeks gestational age were included in the study. It was found that being large for gestational age was not related to increased risk of mortality and morbidities.
Abstract Malignant mesothelioma (MM) frequently exhibits Hippo signaling pathway inactivation (HPI) mainly due to NF2 and/or LATS2 mutations, which leads to the activation of YAP transcriptional ...co-activator. Here, we show antitumor effects of statin on MM cells with HPI, through the interplay of the mevalonate and Hippo signaling pathways. Statin attenuated proliferation and migration of MM cells harboring NF2 mutation by accelerating YAP phosphorylation/inactivation. CD44 expression was decreased by statin, in parallel with YAP phosphorylation/inactivation. Importantly, we discovered that YAP/TEAD activated CD44 transcription by binding to the CD44 promoter at TEAD-binding sites. On the other hand, CD44 regulated Merlin phosphorylation according to cell density and sequentially promoted YAP transcriptional co-activator, suggesting that CD44 plays two pivotal functional roles as an upstream suppressor of the Hippo pathway and one of downstream targets regulated by YAP/TEAD. Moreover, the YAP/CD44 axis conferred cancer stem cell (CSC)-like properties in MM cells leading to chemoresistance, which was blocked by statin. Together, our findings suggest that YAP mediates CD44 up-regulation at the transcriptional level, conferring CSC-like properties in MM cells, and statin represents a potential therapeutic option against MM by inactivating YAP.
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