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Cathodic protection is widely used to protect metal structures from corrosion in marine environments using sacrificial galvanic anodes. These anodes, either in Zinc, or preferentially nowadays in Al-Zn-In alloys, are expected to corrode instead of the metal structures. This leads to the release of dissolved species, Zn2+, Al3+, and In3+, and solid phases such as Al(OH)3. Few studies have been conducted on their effects on marine organisms, and they concluded that further investigations are needed. We therefore evaluated the effects of Zn and Al-Zn-In anodes on oysters stabulated in tanks, under controlled conditions defined through a comparison with those prevailing in a given commercial seaport used as reference. We analyzed the entire metabolome of gills with a non-targeted metabolomic approach HRMS. A modelling study of the chemical species, corresponding to the degradation products of the anodes, likely to be present near the exposed oysters, was also included. We identified 16 and two metabolites modulated by Zn- and Al-Zn-In-anodes, respectively, that were involved in energy metabolism, osmoregulation, oxidative stress, lipid, nucleotide nucleoside and amino acid metabolisms, defense and signaling pathways. The combination of chemical modelling and metabolomic approach, used here for the first time, enlightened the influence of Zn present in the Al-Zn-In anodes.

This study measured the concentrations of Hg, As, Ni, Cd, and Pb in six fish species commonly consumed in Kendari. Samples were bought within local markets from 2012 to 2017 at the end of the dry season. Results showed that mercury concentrations fluctuated between years and within species, except in the Caranx sexfasciatus, which showed no significant differences (Kruskall–Wallis, p-value > 0.05, df = 5) and an average concentration of 0.371 ± 0.162 µg g−1 DW. Arsenic was found in high concentrations across species and years and varied widely in C. sexfasciatus, the lowest value being 0.32 ± 0.01 µg g−1 DW in 2012 and the highest was 5.63 ± 1.89 µg g−1 DW in 2017. The highest nickel concentrations were found in 2016 across four of the six species. The fish samples displayed very low cadmium and lead concentrations throughout the study. In addition, the potential human health risk due to fish consumption was assessed. This showed that mercury is the only one of the five metals present in concentrations high enough to individually pose a potential hazard, the only metal likely to be accumulated beyond a safe concentration in Kendari. Chanos chanos never posed a toxicological risk based on the results of this research.

Aluminium (Al) is a common chemical element released into the aquatic environment from the Earth’s crust and many anthropogenic activities. It may be present in various dissolved and precipitated forms [Al3+, AlOH2+, Al(OH)2+, Al(OH)03, Al(OH)4−, etc.], which are potentially toxic for organisms. This review summarizes information about the concentrations of Al detected in aquatic ecosystems and its effects on both freshwater and marine organisms (such as growth disturbance, reproduction, and respiration alterations). As the chemistry of Al is different in freshwater and marine systems, we discuss the behaviour of aluminium and its effects on marine or freshwater fauna. Therefore, the solubility of Al, as other metals, is highly pH dependent, which increases when pH decreases. We are assuming that ocean acidification, linked to climate change, would affect the Al bioavailability in the aquatic environment, which may increase its ecotoxicological effects on semi-closed (Bays, Mediterranean Sea, etc.) or closed (lakes, etc.) aquatic ecosystems.

Cathodic protection is widely used to protect metal structures from corrosion in marine environments using sacrificial galvanic anodes. These anodes, either in Zinc, or preferentially nowadays in Al-Zn-In alloys, are expected to corrode instead of the metal structures. This leads to the release of dissolved species, Zn[sup.2+] , Al[sup.3+] , and In[sup.3+] , and solid phases such as Al(OH)[sub.3] . Few studies have been conducted on their effects on marine organisms, and they concluded that further investigations are needed. We therefore evaluated the effects of Zn and Al-Zn-In anodes on oysters stabulated in tanks, under controlled conditions defined through a comparison with those prevailing in a given commercial seaport used as reference. We analyzed the entire metabolome of gills with a non-targeted metabolomic approach HRMS. A modelling study of the chemical species, corresponding to the degradation products of the anodes, likely to be present near the exposed oysters, was also included. We identified 16 and two metabolites modulated by Zn- and Al-Zn-In-anodes, respectively, that were involved in energy metabolism, osmoregulation, oxidative stress, lipid, nucleotide nucleoside and amino acid metabolisms, defense and signaling pathways. The combination of chemical modelling and metabolomic approach, used here for the first time, enlightened the influence of Zn present in the Al-Zn-In anodes.

Mining activities in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, are increasing daily. This inevitably leads to heavy metal pollution in coastal areas. This study aimed to determine the concentration of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cu, Ni) in three filter-feeder species: Dendostrea folium, Gafrarium pectinatum, Isognomon ephipium in two stations: Waturrambaha (high nickel mining activity) and Tanjung Tiram (no mining activity) in south-east Sulawesi, Indonesia. Sampling was carried out in January 2023 and metal concentrations were measured by ICP-OES and ICP-MS. The results show that D. folium can strongly accumulate copper and cadmium, while G. pectinatum and I.ephipium can strongly accumulate nickel. Sediments from the Waturambaha station have higher concentrations for all metals than those from the Tanjung Tiram station. Whatever the species and the stations, the results of the BSAF calculation show differential accumulation capacities between the metals considered, from cadmium, the most accumulated, to arsenic, the least accumulated, with copper showing intermediate accumulations. The three species do not accumulate nickel well but regulate it effectively for these very high environmental concentrations. While significant differences are highlighted between the two stations, the three species can still be used as bioindicators despite their different bioconcentration capacities to different metals and a certain capacity for nickel regulation at very high environmental concentrations.

Four dominant nematode species and various copepods from an intertidal mudflat in Marennes-Oléron Bay were analyzed for δ13C and δ15N ratios together with their potential food source, the microphytobenthos. It was shown that microphytobenthic C is passed to nematodes either by grazing or predation on herbivorous meiofauna by other nematodes. Diatoms of different sizes exhibited different13C content, which can be reflected in herbivorous meiofauna, such as the nematodesDaptonema oxycercaandMetachromadora remaneiand the bulk of copepods, indicating they can select different sizes of diatoms. Results confirm the need to analyze meiofauna feeding habits at the species or genera level since the δ15N and δ13C signatures differed substantially among meiofaunal species.

The Marennes-Oléron Bay is subject to chronic pollution by cadmium (Cd) from the Gironde watershed. An ecosystem approach was used to study the fate of cadmium in the different biological compartments. The median Cd concentration was 0.4 μg g–1dry weight for the 63 benthic species measured. When combined with the respective biomasses for the different species studied, we estimated that 7 kg of Cd is partitioned into the soft tissues of the benthic species in the bay. The majority of this cadmium was distributed between primary producers, mainly microphytobenthos (40%), and suspension-feeders, mainly oysters (40%). All other benthic species measured were associated with negligible masses of Cd. Two trophic levels contained 98% of the Cd: 3 kg was partitioned into primary producers (of which 77% is associated with the microphytobenthos) and 3.2 kg of Cd was distributed among all suspension feeders. The carnivores, including scavengers, concentrated less than 0.2 kg of Cd, suggesting an absence of biomagnification of Cd in the trophic food web of the bay. The microphytobenthic compartment was estimated to control the largest quantity of Cd (ca. 188 kg yr–1), suggesting an important role for the microphytobenthos in the biogeochemical cycle of Cd in the bay. The quantities of Cd associated with annual biological production in other biological compartments were low: 2 kg yr–1for eelgrass which could represent a vector of Cd transfer to winter populations of Brent geese and 1.4 kg yr–1for all suspension feeders, principally the cultivated Pacific oysters (64%) representing a vector of Cd transfer to humans. An ecosystem-wide budget for the quantities of Cd present in all the biological and physical compartments showed that the majority of Cd (1 t) is trapped in the upper 5 cm of the bay sediments, representing a potential risk for the oyster and shellfish cultivation in the bay.

This study evaluates the influence of man-made activities on the benthic environment at two different marinas: Southsea Marina on the south coast of England, and Minimes Marina on the Atlantic coast of France. We assessed the differences in: (1) sediment percentage organic matter, particle size and heavy metal concentration, using copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) as contamination indicators; (2) sediment elutriate toxicity (LC50) using algal (Fucus serratus) bioassay; and (3) benthic community characteristics (number of species, abundance, most contributing species (SIMPER) and biotic index (AMBI)). Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was performed to relate the abundance of species to the environmental variables. At both marinas, we observed an increasing gradient of contamination from outside to the innermost sites. At both marinas, the lowest macrofaunal abundance was recorded at the innermost sites and differences in benthic community structure were observed between sites. At Southsea Marina, the cirratulids Tharyx marioni and T. killariensis and the cossurid Cossura pygodactylata dominated sites outside, while the opportunistic species Capitellides girardi dominated the innermost sites. At Minimes Marina, the cirratulid Streblospio shrubsolii was abundant outside and at the middle sites but was almost absent at the innermost sites. The biotic index—AMBI—indicated that sediments in the innermost sites were heavily disturbed at Southsea Marina and slightly to moderately disturbed at Minimes Marina. In Southsea, the AMBI was positively correlated to the sediment metal concentrations (Cu, Zn and Cd) and elutriate toxicity (LC50), while in Minimes the AMBI was positively correlated to the % of sediment fine particle and elutriate toxicity (LC50).

Data regarding outcome of patients with chronic liver disease with severe hepatic encephalopathy in intensive care unit are currently scarce. This study is a retrospective observational case series in a medical intensive care unit (ICU) in a university hospital from 1995 to 2005. Patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) (admitted with or developing) were identified. Clinical and laboratory parameters were analyzed to determinate predictors of ICU and 1-year mortality. Seventy-one patients were included (53 male). Median Simplified Acute Physiology Score was 56 with Child-Pugh score 11 ± 2. Seventy-six percent of patients were admitted with coma (Glasgow Coma Scale, 7.7 ± 4). Eighty-two percent of patients required intubation, and 28% vasopressors. Thirty-five percent died during ICU stay. At 1 year, mortality was 54%. Univariate analysis identified arterial hypotension, mechanical ventilation, vasopressors at any time, acute renal failure, Simplified Acute Physiology Score, and sepsis associated with ICU mortality. In multivariate analysis, vasopressor use or acute renal failure was the main independent predictor of ICU death and 1-year mortality. Patients free of these risk factors, even requiring intubation, were identified as isolated HE, with lower mortality rates. Predictors of outcome were similar to other groups of patients with liver disease admitted for other reasons. Intensive care unit mortality was lower than reported for other groups of patients with similar illness. Patients with severe HE admitted to ICU with no organ dysfunction other than mechanical ventilation had a better outcome and may require ICU admission.