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Rare earth elements (REEs) are metals including the 15 lanthanides together with Yttrium and Scandium. China is the leading country in their exploitation and production (∼90%). REEs are necessary for the production of several technological devices. This extended use of REEs has raised concerns about human health safety. In this review, we investigated the hazard of REEs to human health and the main gaps into the knowledge like as the need to develop further focused research activity. We categorized the research papers collected into eight main sections: environmental exposure, association of REEs with health problems, exposure to REEs due to lifestyle, REE exposure through the food chain, Gd contrast agents causing health problems, occupational REE exposure, and cytotoxicity studies of REEs. This review provided information about the exposome of REEs (the exposure of REEs to the human body), the existing research data, and the gaps that require attention and must be further investigated. More than one third of the literature about REE toxicity to human health concerns their cytotoxicity to human cell lines, while hair, blood serum and blood are the most studied matrices. The main results evidenced that REEs can enter human body via several routes, are associated with numerous diseases, can cause ROS production, DNA damage and cell death, and are more toxic to cancer cells than normal cells.

Recently, it was observed that there is an increasing application of nanoparticles (NPs) in aquaculture. Manufacturers are trying to use nano-based tools to remove the barriers about waterborne food, growth, reproduction, and culturing of species, their health, and water treatment in order to increase aquaculture production rates, being the safe-by-design approach still unapplied. We reviewed the applications of NPs in aquaculture evidencing that the way NPs are applied can be very different: some are direclty added to feed, other to water media or in aquaculture facilities. Traditional toxicity data cannot be easily used to infer on aquaculture mainly considering short-term exposure scenarios, underestimating the potential exposure of aquacultured species. The main outputs are (i) biological models are not recurrent, and in the case, testing protocols are frequently different; (ii) most data derived from toxicity studies are not specifically designed on aquaculture needs, thus contact time, exposure concentrations, and other ancillary conditions do not meet the required standard for aquaculture; (iii) short-term exposure periods are investigated mainly on species of indirect aquaculture interest, while shrimp and fish as final consumers in aquaculture plants are underinvestigated (scarce or unknown data on trophic chain transfer of NPs): little information is available about the amount of NPs accumulated within marketed organisms; (iv) how NPs present in the packaging of aquacultured products can affect their quality remained substantially unexplored. NPs in aquaculture are a challenging topic that must be developed in the near future to assure human health and environmental safety. Graphical abstract ᅟ

Nano-based products are widespread in several sectors, including textiles, medical-products, cosmetics, paints and plastics. Nanosafety and safe-by-design are driving nanoparticle (NP) production and applications through NP functionalization (@NPs). Indeed, @NPs frequently present biological effects that differ from the parent material. This paper reviews the impact of quantum dots (QDs), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and polystyrene-cored NPs (PSNPs), evidencing the role of NP functionalization in toxicity definition. Key biological models were taken into consideration for NP evaluation: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, fresh- (F) and saltwater (S) microalgae (Raphidocelis subcapitata (F), Scenedesmus obliquus (F) and Chlorella spp. (F), and Phaeodactylum tricornutum (S)), Daphnia magna, and Xenopus laevis. QDs are quite widespread in technological devices, and they are known to induce genotoxicity and oxidative stress that can drastically change according to the coating employed. For example, AuNPs are frequently functionalized with antimicrobial peptides, which is shown to both increase their activity and decrease the relative environmental toxicity. P-NPs are frequently coated with NH2− for cationic and COOH− for anionic surfaces, but when positively charged toxicity effects can be observed. Careful assessment of functionalized and non-functionalized NPs is compulsory to also understand their potential direct and indirect effects when the coating is removed or degraded.

The problem of drug resistance is very worrying and ever increasing. Resistance is due not only to the reckless use of antibiotics but also to the fact that pathogens are able to adapt to different conditions and develop self-defense mechanisms such as living in biofilms; altogether these issues make the search for alternative drugs a real challenge. Antimicrobial peptides appear as promising alternatives but they have disadvantages that do not make them easily applicable in the medical field; thus many researches look for solutions to overcome the disadvantages and ensure that the advantages can be exploited. This review describes the biofilm characteristics and identifies the key features that antimicrobial peptides should have. Recalcitrant bacterial infections caused by the most obstinate bacterial species should be treated with a strategy to combine conventional peptides functionalized with nano-tools. This approach could effectively disrupt high density infections caused by biofilms. Moreover, the importance of using in vivo non mammalian models for biofilm studies is described. In particular, here we analyze the use of amphibians as a model to substitute the rodent model.

In recent years, sewage treatment plants did not effectively remove emerging water pollutants, leaving potential threats to human health and the environment. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have emerged as a promising technology for the treatment of contaminated wastewater, and the addition of catalysts such as heavy metals has been shown to enhance their effectiveness. This review focuses on the use of rare earth elements (REEs) as catalysts in the AOP process for the degradation of organic pollutants. Cerium and La are the most studied REEs, and their mechanism of action is based on the oxygen vacancies and REE ion concentration in the catalysts. Metal oxide surfaces improve the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to form hydroxide species, which degrade the organics. The review discusses the targets of AOPs, including pharmaceuticals, dyes, and other molecules such as alkaloids, herbicides, and phenols. The current state-of-the-art advances of REEs-based AOPs, including Fenton-like oxidation and photocatalytic oxidation, are also discussed, with an emphasis on their catalytic performance and mechanism. Additionally, factors affecting water chemistry, such as pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, inorganic species, and natural organic matter, are analyzed. REEs have great potential for enhancing the removal of dangerous organics from aqueous solutions, and further research is needed to explore the photoFenton-like activity of REEs and their ideal implementation for wastewater treatment.

Background Drinking tea constitutes a tradition which is deeply rooted in the culture of several countries. Moreover, in recent years, tea consumption is growing all over the world. Improper herbal tea storage (long periods, humid environments) represents a relevant health hazard for consumers because of the growth of bacteria and molds. Results This study analyzed 32 samples of commercially available black and green teas – purchased from southern Italy markets and online-shops – and the monitoring of microbiological quality of the tea bag content was performed. Evaluations were conducted with the aim of characterizing pathogens indicated by the European and American guidelines (total bacterial count, fungi and Escherichia coli ) and on the research of Pseudomonas spp. and Clostridium perfringens . The presence of ochratoxin A in tea matrix-leaves and infusions was further assessed, using a validated and accredited HPLC-FLD method. Microbial loads, for over 80% samples, ranged from 1.0 × 10 2 to 2.8 × 10 5  CFU/g tea: most of identified microorganisms were classified as Bacillaceae . The utilization of rapid detection and identification methods (PCR and sequencing), allowed the characterization of strains of Pseudomonas psychrotolerans , Staphylococcus warneri , Pantoea gaviniae and the isolation of one strain of Clostridium perfringens , whose ability to produce toxins can result in harmful outcomes for consumers. Fungi were isolated from 70% samples: the most prevalent molds were Aspergillus niger strains, followed by Aspergillus tubingensis . Ochratoxin A was detected in 22 of 32 tea solid samples investigated: concentrations resulted over the indicated limits for food products for 50% samples. Conclusions Results obtained demonstrated the need to develop targeted regulations for the safety of herbal teas.

Contamination of microalgae cultures can reduce their productivity and affect the quality of biomass and valuable bioproducts. In this article, after having isolated and identified for the first time the filamentous fungus Penicillium citrinum from heterotrophic cultures of the red polyextremophilic microalga Galdieria sulphuraria , we investigated the biological and metabolic significance of this alga-fungus association. In the same medium, both organisms grow better in each other's presence than separately. Both cell density and cell size of G. sulphuraria increase in co-cultures compared to pure alga cultures. In co-cultures, despite very severe growth conditions, the load of P. citrinum increases compared to pure fungus cultures. Optical microscope images have shown physical contact between cells of P. citrinum hyphae and G. sulphuraria which, however, retain their morphology and cell wall intact. GC–MS-based metabolomics analysis of metabolites excreted in the culture medium shows that pure cultures of the fungus and alga and co-cultures of alga plus fungus can be easily differentiated based on their metabolic products. Indeed, a richer assortment of extracellular metabolites (comprising both products of primary and secondary metabolism) is a distinct feature of co-cultures compared to both pure alga and pure fungus cultures.

The demand for minimally processed fruits and vegetables is increasing every year as consumers become aware of the health benefits associated with the consumption of fresh, unprocessed produce. Washing and disinfection steps are critical for ensuring the safety of these products, which are susceptible to microbial contamination and lack any thermal treatment. The most used sanitizers are chlorine-based, yet concerns have been raised regarding their efficacy and safety, due to the formation of toxic disinfection by-products. Thus, with the aim of proposing innovative green and safe alternatives, we have formulated and thoroughly characterized mixtures composed of two natural phytochemicals, either 1,2- O , O ’-diacetyllycorine (DAL) or ungeremine (UN), and the biosurfactant rhamnolipids (Rha). We performed an investigation into the ecotoxicological properties of DAL and UN, the results of which are encouraging with regard to their utilisation in washing formulations. The combination of UN and Rha has been shown to enhance the solubility of UN and the micellization of Rha, due to electrostatic interactions between the positively charged UN molecules and the negatively charged Rha molecules. In contrast, DAL exhibited minimal interaction with Rha. Notably neither DAL nor UN modify the surface properties of the biosurfactant necessary for ensuring optimal wetting of food surfaces. As a proof of concept, the washing process of minimally processed fruits and vegetables was closely mimicked using lettuce leaves: we showed that the UN + Rha formulation is highly effective against several food-related pathogens and is more effective than the control hypochlorite solution against the normal microbial load present on lettuce leave; furthermore it does not affect leaf appearance for up to eight days. Our results highlight the importance of a comprehensive physico-chemical characterisation of both isolated components and complete mixtures to facilitate the rational design of sustainable formulations for use in food processing. Moreover, this study indicates that formulations based on biocompounds have the potential to be proposed as effective green washing formulations for the fresh-cut food industry.

Secondary metabolites play important physiological roles being bioactive as defences against other organisms, or attractive signals used for various purposes, including reproduction. Their production and the emission in the environment may be viewed as an adaptive feature subjected to evolutionary selection. They were demonstrated to be useful for applications in various biotechnological fields, such as pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmeceutical. Sponges and microalgae, including diatoms, are the most promising sources of bioactive compounds from the sea. We aimed at detecting the ecotoxicological effects of crude extracts and fractions obtained from three marine sponges, Geodia cydonium , Haliclona ( Halichoclona ) vansoesti and Agelas oroides and two benthic diatoms, Nanofrustulum shiloi and Cylindrotheca closterium on model marine organisms. We tested their effects on the Mediterranean purple sea urchin, Paracentrotus lividus , and on two diatoms, Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Cylindrotheca closterium , chosen because they are considered standard indicators for assessment of ecological impacts. Our results showed that extracts and fractions from both sponges and diatoms may be harmful for model invertebrates. However, eggs appeared “protected” from sponge allelochemicals when still unfertilized. The majority of sponge fractions exhibited noticeable impacts during the post-fertilization treatments. In contrast, fractions from diatoms notably increased the rate of malformations compared to the control, both in pre- and post-fertilization treatments.

Octocrylene is an organic sunscreen whose main action is to absorb UVB radiation and short UVA wavelengths; it is used in various cosmetic products in order to provide an adequate sun-protection factor or to protect the cosmetic formulations themselves from UV radiation. This filter is believed to be a possible endocrine disruptor and is also questioned due to its allergic and/or photoallergic potential. However, it continues to be widely used, and it has been found in various environments, not least those of swimming pools, where it is evidently released by consumers, to the point that it is now considered an emerging micropollutant. The present investigation presents the possible chemical fate of octocrylene in the typical chlorination conditions of wastewater or swimming pools. A total of 11 disinfection byproducts were identified, and 6 were identified for the first time, and separated by HPLC. These products were identified through careful mass spectrometry studies and 1D and 2D NMR experiments. A formation mechanism has been proposed that justifies the chemical structures of all of the compounds identified. The ecotoxicological assessment of octocrylene and their products was carried out by employing Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Brachionus plicatilis and Aliivibrio fischeri as bioindicators. The ecotoxicity results reveal that toxic byproducts might be generated during the oxidation process, increasing the potential risk to the marine environment.