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Twenty-three soft drink samples (i.e., four pineapple-based fruit drinks, eight citrus-based fruit juices, one soya-based drink, three cola carbonated drinks, one apple-based fruit drink, and six cocktail fruit drinks) were randomly purchased from retail outlets in an urban market in Accra and analyzed for the concentrations of iron, cobalt, cadmium, zinc, lead, and copper using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The mean concentration of iron and cadmium were 0.723 ± 0.448 mg/L and 0.032 ± 0.012 mg/L, respectively. The mean cobalt concentration was 0.071 ± 0.049 mg/L, while the mean Zn concentration in the samples was 0.060 ± 0.097 mg/L. The mean concentrations of Pb and Cu in the fruit juice samples were 0.178 ± 0.091 mg/L and 0.053 ± 0.063 mg/L respectively. About 78 % of the samples exceeded the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) maximum contaminant level of 0.3 mg/L prescribed for iron, whereas all the samples exceeded the USEPA maximum contaminant level of 0.005 mg/L prescribed for cadmium. About 91 % of the samples exceeded the EU maximum contaminant level prescribed for lead insoft drinks.

The aim of this study was to investigate the phytotoxicity of thin-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings. Three different CNTs, including hollow multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), Fe-filled carbon nanotubes (Fe-CNTs), and Fe-Co-filled carbon nanotubes (FeCo-CNTs), were evaluated. The CNTs significantly inhibited rice growth by decreasing the concentrations of endogenous plant hormones. The carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N ratio) significantly increased in rice roots after treatments with CNTs, and all three types of CNTs had the same effects on the C:N ratio. Interestingly, the increase in the C:N ratio in roots was largely because of decreased N content, indicating that the CNTs significantly decreased N assimilation. Analyses of the Fe and Co contents in plant tissues, transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis proved that the CNTs could penetrate the cell wall and the cell membrane, and then enter the root cells. According to the author's knowledge, this is the first time to study the relationship between carbon nanotubes and carbon nitrogen ratio and plant hormones.

This research examines the concentration of 10 trace elements including arsenic (As), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), and aluminum (Al) from among 36 different samples of coffee (3 brands and 2 types of simple and instant) and mixed coffee (3 brands and 4 types of simple, creamy, chocolate and sugar free) collected from market of Iran’s and analyzed by using ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry). The recovery, limit of quantification (LOQ), and limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 93.4 to 103.1%, 0.06 to 7.22, and 0.018 to 2.166 µg/kg, respectively. The findings showed that the highest and lowest average concentrations were 498.72 ± 23.07 μg/kg (Fe) and 3.01 ± 1.30 μg/kg (As) in coffee and mixed coffee samples. Also, in all samples, the maximum concentration of trace elements was related to Fe (1353.61 µg/kg) and the minimum concentration was related to Al, As, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn that were not detected (ND). The samples of mixed coffee had highest levels of trace elements compared to coffee samples. In coffee samples, type of instant coffee had highest levels of trace elements compared to simple coffee and mixed coffee samples. The type of creamy mixed coffee had highest levels of trace elements (except Ni and Cr) compared to other type of mixed coffee samples. Finally, trace elements were less than the standard levels of Iran and other countries (in all samples); therefore, it does not threaten Iranian consumers.

The study evaluates the health risk caused by heavy metals to the inhabitants of a gold mining area. In this study, 56 soil samples from five mine tailings and 17 from two mine villages were collected and analyzed for Asernic (As), Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu) and Zinc (Zn) using ICP-MS. Measured concentrations of these heavy metals were then used to calculate the health risk for adults and children. Their concentrations were such that Cr > Ni > As > Zn > Cu > Co > Pb > Hg > Cd, with As, Cr and Ni higher than permissible levels. For the adult population, the Hazard Index value for all pathways was found to be 2.13, making non-carcinogenic effects significant to the adult population. For children, the Hazard Index value was 43.80, a value >>1, which poses serious non-carcinogenic effect to children living in the gold mining area. The carcinogenic risk was found to be 1.7 × 10−4 implying that 1 person in every 5882 adults may be affected. In addition, for children, in every 2725 individuals, 1 child may be affected (3.67 × 10−4). These carcinogenic risk values were both higher than acceptable values.

Heavy metals accumulation in food products as a result of industrialization is one of the main potential threats to public health. This study was aimed to evaluate the concentrations of heavy metals in the meat of some prevalent farm animal species including sheep, beef, turkeys, and ostriches in Sanandaj (one of the strategic cities in Kurdistan province, Iran). In this study, the contents of some heavy metals (selenium, lead, cadmium, arsenic, cobalt, zinc, nickel, copper, and chromium) were assessed in 170 meat samples collected from meat distribution centers in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province. The ICP-MS method was used to assess the levels of these elements in the meat of beef, sheep, turkey, and ostrich as the main consumed meats in this region. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA and one-sample t -test, and the correlation coefficient of the concentrations of metals was also calculated. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the average contents of selenium, nickel, cobalt, and chromium among various meats ( P  > 0.05). However, the amounts of lead, cadmium, arsenic, zinc, copper, chromium, and nickel were meaningfully different to maximum permissible limits (MPL) ( P  < 0.05). In addition, a significant negative correlation was found between arsenic and selenium in meats. Except for cobalt, the concentrations of other metals were higher than MPL in the evaluated meats. Despite the target hazard quotient (THQ) for cadmium in sheep and beef meats being higher than their MPL (> 1), its target risk of cancer (TR) was acceptable. It can be concluded that monitoring and elimination of heavy metals pollution are essential because of their high accumulation in the meat of main farm animal species in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province.

In this work, a highly selective fluorescent chemosensor N-(2-(2-butyl-1,3-dioxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[de]isoquinolin-6-yl)hydrazine-1-carbonothioyl)benzamide (L) was prepared and characterized. An assay to detect the presence of cobalt(II) ions was developed by utilizing turn-on fluorescence enhancement with visual colorimetric response. Upon treatment with Co2+, a remarkable fluorescence enhancement located at 450 nm was visible to naked eyes accompanied with a distinct color change (from pink to colorless) in a CH3CN/HEPES (4/1, v/v, pH = 7.4) solution due to the formation of a 1:1 complex at room temperature. In addition, the linear concentration range for Co2+ was 0–25 µM with the limit of detection down to 0.26 µM. Thus, a highly sensitive fluorescent method based on chelation-assisted fluorescence enhancement was developed for the trace-level detection of Co2+. The sensor was found to be highly selective toward Co2+ ions with a large number of coexisting ions. Furthermore, the L probe can serve as a fluorescent sensor for Co2+ detecting in biological environments, demonstrating its low toxic properties to organisms and good cell permeability in live cell imaging.

Drought stress can have negative impacts on crop productivity. It triggers the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, which causes oxidative stress. Limited water and nutrient uptake under drought stress also decreases plant growth. Using cobalt and fulvic acid with biochar in such scenarios can effectively promote plant growth. Cobalt (Co) is a component of various enzymes and co-enzymes. It can increase the concentration of flavonoids, total phenols, antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase, catalase, and polyphenol oxidase) and proline. Fulvic acid (FA), a constituent of soil organic matter, increases the accessibility of nutrients to plants. Biochar (BC) can enhance soil moisture retention, nutrient uptake, and plant productivity during drought stress. That’s why the current study explored the influence of Co, FA and BC on chili plants under drought stress. This study involved 8 treatments, i.e., control, 4 g/L fulvic acid (4FA), 20 mg/L cobalt sulfate (20CoSO 4 ), 4FA + 20CoSO 4 , 0.50%MFWBC (0.50 MFWBC), 4FA + 0.50MFWBC, 20CoSO 4  + 0.50MFWBC, 4FA + 20CoSO 4  + 0.50MFWBC. Results showed that 4 g/L FA + 20CoSO 4 with 0.50MFWBC caused an increase in chili plant height (23.29%), plant dry weight (28.85%), fruit length (20.17%), fruit girth (21.41%) and fruit yield (25.13%) compared to control. The effectiveness of 4 g/L FA + 20CoSO 4 with 0.50MFWBC was also confirmed by a significant increase in total chlorophyll contents, as well as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in leaves over control. In conclusion4g/L, FA + 20CoSO 4 with 0.50MFWBC can potentially improve the growth of chili cultivated in drought stress. It is suggested that 4 g/L FA + 20CoSO 4 with 0.50MFWBC be used to alleviate drought stress in chili plants.

The study on imprinting control region mice aims to show that magnetoelectric nanoparticles may directly couple the intrinsic neural activity-induced electric fields with external magnetic fields. Approximately 10 µg of CoFe O -BaTiO 30-nm nanoparticles have been intravenously administrated through a tail vein and forced to cross the blood-brain barrier via a d.c. field gradient of 3000 Oe/cm. A surgically attached two-channel electroencephalography headmount has directly measured the modulation of intrinsic electric waveforms by an external a.c. 100-Oe magnetic field in a frequency range of 0-20 Hz. The modulated signal has reached the strength comparable to that due the regular neural activity. The study opens a pathway to use multifunctional nanoparticles to control intrinsic fields deep in the brain.

Trace elements and potential toxic elements were analyzed in bovine livers submitted for autopsy in the Netherlands during the years 2007 to 2018. The age of each animal was recorded. In total, 1544 livers were analyzed for cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, molybdenum, nickel, lead, selenium and zinc. Less than 2% of the liver samples were from veal calves. Young animals had significantly higher concentrations of iron and zinc in their livers compared to animals older than one year, while older animals had significantly higher levels of cadmium and molybdenum in their livers. Animals aged 1 to 2 years had the lowest copper and selenium levels. There was a tendency for lower chromium and nickel levels during the last years of the testing period, while copper showed an increase. Lead intoxication was only seen in the youngest group of cattle, while copper intoxication, defined as a liver copper of more than 1000 mg/kg dry matter, occurred in older animals, mainly in animals of 3 to 4 years old. This trend analysis of trace elements in bovine livers of cattle over time in recent years, and the relation of liver element concentrations with age of the animal, provides insight in the uptake and storage of these elements by cattle in The Netherlands. Possible reasons for observed trends and age-related patterns are discussed.

This research reports heavy metal pollution in riverine sediments from River Kabul, Pakistan, which could endanger human health and ecology via the food web. The results revealed a substantial special variation in the average contents (mg/kg) of chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), iron (Fe), and aluminum (Al) in riverine sediments, in the order of Fe (20,234.51) > Al (17,550.86) > Mn (375.45) > Zn (149.08) > Ni (89.11) > Cr (83.36) > Pb (45.29) > Cu (19.86) > Cd (7.48) > Co (6.28) > Hg (0.81). Among the heavy metals, Cd exhibited the highest degree of pollution along the river, followed by Hg > Ni > Zn > Pb > Al > Cr > Mn > Fe > Cu > Co. The overall contamination factor (CF) values for the sum of heavy metals were highest at monitoring site S-9, followed by S-8 > S-10 > S-6 > S-5 > S-7 > S-1 > S-4 > S-12 > S-3 > S-2 > S-1 with pollution load index (PLI) > 1, whereas the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) values of Cd and Hg fluctuated between Levels 3, 4, and 6, suggesting moderate to extreme pollution in the river. The correlation statistics determined the fate and distribution of heavy metals by establishing significant positive correlations between the specific metals of bounded sediments. The cluster analysis separates the correlated metals into Groups A and B, and Groups 1 and 2. While the principal component analysis evaluates the qualitative behavior of clustering by discerning industrial, agrochemicals, mining, and domestic wastewater discharges, leakages of lubricants along with multiple geogenic inputs, erosion of mafic and ultramafic rocks, and minimal atmospheric deposition are all potential sources of Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg, Pb, Fe, and Al contamination. In terms of risk, the contaminations of Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, and Pb in riverine sediments were 85, 100, 100, 17, and 11%, respectively, representing a rare biological influence because their value is less than their corresponding threshold effect concentrations (TECs), whereas the levels of Mn, Ni, Cd, and Hg were above their probable effect concentrations (PECs) of 100, 100, 81, and 52%, respectively, representing prominent adverse biological influence. Based on consensus-based TECs and PECs, the contamination levels of Cr, Mn, Zn, Cd, Hg, and Pb were 100, 85, 83, 19, 48, and 90%, respectively, indicating occasionally exhibited adverse biological effects on the riverine population. Besides, the overall potential ecological risk index (PERI) of Cd and Hg, in particular, exhibited the maximum pollution level ( E r i ≥ 320), suggesting a very high potential ecological risk in the drainage that requires special attention from pollution control authorities.