Aseptic Folliculitis in Freshwater and Marine Fishermen.

Folliculitis is a common skin disease, usually benign, which causes inflammation and eventual infections of hair follicles. They may have an infectious etiology, mainly due to the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus; it also occurs due to localized irritation, such as in areas of skin friction and for long periods of immersion in water, as in athletes and workers who are continuously exposed to the aquatic environment. Herein, we report on two fishermen, from fluvial and maritime environments, who presented with chronic aseptic folliculitis associated with daily immersion of their lower extremities while exercising the profession and that regressed when there was a decrease in their contact with water.

Comparative assessment of toxicity of ZnO and amine-functionalized ZnO nanorods toward Daphnia magna in acute and chronic multigenerational tests.

Zinc oxide nanomaterials (ZnO NM) have been used in a large number of applications due to their interesting physicochemical properties. However, the increasing use of ZnO NM has led to concerns regarding their environmental impacts. In this study, the acute and chronic toxicity of ZnO nanorods (NR) bare (ZnONR) and amine-functionalized (ZnONR@AF) toward the freshwater microcrustacean Daphnia magna was evaluated. The ZnO NR were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and the zeta potential and hydrodynamic diameter (HD). The acute EC50(48h) values for D. magna revealed that the ZnONR@AF were more toxic than the ZnONR. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was observed in both NM. Regarding the chronic toxicity, the ZnONR@AF were again found to be more toxic than the ZnONR toward D. magna. An effect on longevity was observed for ZnONR, while ZnONR@AF affected the reproduction, growth and longevity. In the multigenerational recovery test, we observed that maternal exposure can affect the offspring even when these organisms are not directly exposed to the ZnO NR.

Comparative evaluation of acute and chronic toxicities of CuO nanoparticles and bulk using Daphnia magna and Vibrio fischeri.

Copper oxide (CuO) has various applications, as highlighted by the incorporation of this compound as a biocide of antifouling paints for coating ships and offshore oil platforms. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the aquatic toxicity of CuO nanoparticles (NPs) and microparticles (MPs) through acute and chronic toxicity tests with the freshwater microcrustacean Daphnia magna and an acute toxicity test with the bioluminescent marine bacteria Vibrio fischeri. Acute toxicity results for D. magna in tests with CuO NPs (EC50, 48 h=22 mg L(-1)) were ten times higher than those for tests with CuO MPs (EC50, 48 h=223.6 mg L(-1)). In both periods of exposure of V. fischeri, the CuO NPs (EC50, 15m 248±56.39 - equivalent to 12.40%; EC50, 30 m 257.6±30.8 mg L(-1) - equivalent to 12.88%) were more toxic than the CuO MPs (EC50, 15m 2404.6±277.4 - equivalent to 60.10%; EC50, 30 m 1472.9±244.7 mg L(-1) - equivalent to 36.82%). In chronic toxicity tests, both forms of CuO showed significant effects (p<0.05) on the growth and reproduction parameters of the D. magna relative to the control. Additionally, morphological changes, such as lack of apical spine development and malformed carapaces in D. magna, were observed for organisms after the chronic test. The toxicity results demonstrate that CuO NPs have a higher level of toxicity than CuO MPs, emphasizing the need for comparative toxicological studies to correctly classify these two forms of CuO with identical CAS registration numbers.

Synthesis, characterization and toxicological evaluation of a core-shell copper oxide/polyaniline nanocomposite.

The newest generation of copper oxide NPs (CuO NPs) is the CuO core-shell (CS), which has potential applications in several areas (e.g., electronics and paint) and is able to provide a greater service life due to its coating; however, its toxicity is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to synthesize, characterize and evaluate the aquatic toxicology of CuO NPs and CuO core-shells through acute and chronic toxicity tests with the freshwater microcrustaceans Daphnia magna and to evaluate its acute toxicity with the marine bioluminescent bacteria Vibrio fischeri. The NPs were synthesized by direct thermal decomposition after being coated as a CS with polyaniline (PANI). With respect to acute toxicity with D. magna, the CuO NPs and CS CuO/PANI presented EC50 values of 0.32 mg L(-1) and 0.48 mg L(-1), respectively. For the tests with V. fischeri, the CuO NPs (EC50-15 min=7.79 mg L(-1)) exhibited behavior similar to that of the CS CuO/PANI (EC50-15 min=9.05 mg L(-1)) after 15 min of exposure. Regarding chronic toxicity, both forms showed a statistically significant effect (p<0.05) on the growth and reproduction parameters. Based on the characterization and toxicity results, it can be concluded that both forms of CuO were toxic and presented similar behaviors during the acute tests; however, after 21 d of exposure, CS CuO/PANI showed higher toxicity to the reproduction parameter, highlighting the importance of a complete study of the NP to better understand its toxicity mechanism.

Genotoxic effects of copper oxide nanoparticles in Neuro 2A cell cultures.

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are used for their biocide potential however they were also shown to be highly toxic to mammalian cells. Therefore, the effects of CuO NPs should be carefully investigated to determine the most sensitive processes for CuO NP toxicity. In this study, the genotoxicity of CuO NPs was investigated in vitro, using the mouse neuroblastoma cell line Neuro-2A. Genotoxic effects related to DNA fragmentation, DNA methylation and chromosomal damage, as well as lipid peroxidation, were investigated and compared to cytotoxic effects, measured by the mitochondrial reduction of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide into formazan. Based on mitochondrial activity, CuO NPs were found to be cytotoxic. At the highest concentration tested (400 mg l⁻¹), 63% of cell viability was found in Neuro-2A cells after 24 h of treatment to CuO NPs. CuO NPs were also found to induce DNA fragmentation, lipid peroxidation and micronucleus formation. The micronucleus assay was the most sensitive to evaluate CuO NP genotoxicity and micronucleus frequency was increased significantly at 12.5 mg l⁻¹ CuO NPs after 24h of treatment. At this concentration, no significant change of cell viability was found using the mitochondrial activity assay. These results highlight the important risk of genotoxic effects of CuO NPs and show that genotoxicity assays are a sensitive approach to evaluate the risk of CuO NP toxicity.