Balancing economic and ecological functions in smallholder and industrial oil palm plantations.

The expansion of the oil palm industry in Indonesia has improved livelihoods in rural communities, but comes at the cost of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation. Here, we investigated ways to balance ecological and economic outcomes of oil palm cultivation. We compared a wide range of production systems, including smallholder plantations, industrialized company estates, estates with improved agronomic management, and estates with native tree enrichment. Across all management types, we assessed multiple indicators of biodiversity, ecosystem functions, management, and landscape structure to identify factors that facilitate economic-ecological win-wins, using palm yields as measure of economic performance. Although, we found that yields in industrialized estates were, on average, twice as high as those in smallholder plantations, ecological indicators displayed substantial variability across systems, regardless of yield variations, highlighting potential for economic-ecological win-wins. Reducing management intensity (e.g., mechanical weeding instead of herbicide application) did not lower yields but improved ecological outcomes at moderate costs, making it a potential measure for balancing economic and ecological demands. Additionally, maintaining forest cover in the landscape generally enhanced local biodiversity and ecosystem functioning within plantations. Enriching plantations with native trees is also a promising strategy to increase ecological value without reducing productivity. Overall, we recommend closing yield gaps in smallholder cultivation through careful intensification, whereas conventional plantations could reduce management intensity without sacrificing yield. Our study highlights various pathways to reconcile the economics and ecology of palm oil production and identifies management practices for a more sustainable future of oil palm cultivation.

High-pressure injection injury of the hand: Clinical usefulness of ultrasound as an early diagnostic tool.

High-pressure injection injuries of the hand are uncommon accidents with potentially catastrophic complications. We present a case of a 49-years-old male with a high-pressure injection of motor oil in his left hand. Ultrasound accurately demonstrated soft tissue infiltration and late complications, playing a fundamental role in the treatment choice.

Characterization and comparison of commercial oils used for human embryo culture.

STUDY QUESTION: Are there significant differences between the available commercial oil brands used for human IVF? SUMMARY ANSWER: Important differences have been detected among the tested oil brands in their potential to stabilize culture conditions and, more importantly, in their direct effect on embryo development and viability. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Mineral oil is a critical component of the human culture system due to its protective and stabilizing roles during in vitro embryo development. Many different oils are available on the market, with differences in their viscosity, density and overall quality. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Thirteen different commercial oil brands were compared. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Each oil was firstly analyzed to assess its viscosity, density, peroxide value and potential oxidation. Secondly, the capacity of each oil to reduce pH, osmolality and temperature fluctuations during embryo culture and manipulation was compared. Lastly, a sensitive mouse embryo assay (MEA) protocol, previously optimized to detect toxicity in oils samples, was used to compare the overall quality of the different brands in terms of embryo developmental rates up to the blastocyst stage. At the end of the MEAs, a triple labeling protocol was applied to analyze Oct4+ cells, apoptotic cells and total cell counts in the blastocysts obtained by fluorescence microscopy. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Significant divergences were detected in the rise of osmolality and the equilibration and stability of pH between different oils, which could be correlated to their physico-chemical characteristics. In particular, oil samples with a higher viscosity tended to offer an additional protection against fluctuations in the culture conditions, however, the differences in temperature stability between oils were minor. Two out of the 13 oil samples, which were commercially available, were identified as embryo-toxic by applying the MEA protocol with increased sensitivity for toxicity detection. Additionally, substantial differences in the total number of cells and the number of cells in the inner cell mass of the obtained blastocysts were also detected between oil groups. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: A single lot of oil was used for each brand and, thus, lot-to-lot variations in oil quality could not be determined. However, several bottles from the same oil were included to account for potential intra-lot variability. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Commercial oils differ in both their physical characteristics and their performance in maintaining the stability of the culture conditions during in vitro embryo culture. Oil selection is important for embryo culture success. Additionally, the detection of embryo-toxic oils which had already been released to the human IVF market showcases the importance of applying sensitive MEA protocols for a better detection of toxicity in this type of samples. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This study was privately funded. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

End-stage renal disease and metalworking fluid exposure.

OBJECTIVE: Despite increasing prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), little attention has been directed to how occupational exposures may contribute to risk. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between metalworking fluids (MWF) and ESRD in a cohort of 36 703 male autoworkers. METHODS: We accounted for competing risk of death, using the subdistribution hazard approach to estimate subhazard ratios (sHRs) and 95% CIs in models with cubic splines for cumulative exposure to MWF (straight, soluble or synthetic). RESULTS: Based on 501 ESRD cases and 13 434 deaths, we did not observe an association between MWF and ESRD overall. We observed modest associations between MWF and ESRD classification of glomerulonephritis and diabetic nephropathy. For glomerulonephritis, the 60th percentile of straight MWF was associated with an 18% increased subhazard (sHR=1.18, 95% CI: 0.99 to 1.41). For diabetic nephropathy, the subhazard increased 28% at the 60th percentile of soluble MWF (sHR=1.28, 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.64). Differences by race suggest that black males may have higher disease rates following MWF exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to straight and soluble MWF may be related to ESRD classification, though this relationship should be further examined.

Sustainable Production of Biosurfactant from Agro-Industrial Oil Wastes by Bacillus subtilis and Its Potential Application as Antioxidant and ACE Inhibitor.

The microbial conversion of agro-industrial oil wastes into biosurfactants shows promise as a biomass refinery approach. In this study, Bacillus subtilis #309 was applied to produce surfactin using rapeseed and sunflower cakes, the most common oil processing side products in Europe. Studies of the chemical composition of the substrates were performed, to determine the feasibility of oil cakes for surfactin production. Initially, screening of proteolytic and lipolytic activity was performed to establish the capability of B. subtilis #309 for substrate utilization and hence effective surfactin production. B. subtilis #309 showed both proteolytic and lipolytic activity. The process of surfactin production was carefully analyzed by measurement of the surfactin concentration, pH, surface tension (ST) and emulsification index (E24). The maximal surfactin concentration in the sunflower and rapeseed cake medium reached 1.19 ± 0.03 and 1.45 ± 0.09 g/L, respectively. At the same time, a progressive decrease in the surface tension and increase in emulsification activity were observed. The results confirmed the occurrence of various surfactin homologues, while the surfactin C15 was the dominant one. Finally, the analysis of surfactin biological function exhibited antioxidant activity and significant angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value for ACE inhibition was found to be 0.62 mg/mL for surfactin. Molecular docking of the surfactin molecule to the ACE domains confirmed its inhibitory activity against ACE. Several interactions, such as hydrophobic terms, hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions, were involved in the complex stabilization. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the effect of a lipopeptide biosurfactant, surfactin, produced by B. subtilis for multifunctional properties in vitro, namely the ACE-inhibitory activity and the antioxidant properties, using different assays, such as 2,2-azinobis (3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Thus, the ACE-inhibitory lipopeptide biosurfactant shows promise to be used as a natural antihypertensive agent.

Impacts of empty fruit bunch applications on soil organic carbon in an industrial oil palm plantation.

Extensive oil palm plantations have often resulted in the decrease of soil organic carbon (SOC). Several options exist to counter this, such as recycling empty fruit bunches (EFB) as a soil amendment. However, the extent to which EFB increase SOC has been disputed. Since EFB could also be used as a climate change mitigation tool, it is necessary to truly understand their impact on SOC. The investigation of the impact of nine EFB treatments (differing in frequency and application rates) on a 27-year-old large-scale experiment (Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia) revealed that, while EFB impacts are heterogeneous throughout the plantation, they can positively affect total SOC and permanganate oxidisable carbon (POX-C) both at shallow and deep depths (measured up to 100 cm). POX-C was closely correlated to SOC, but showed significant increases compared to the untreated control in all treatments, while total SOC was only increased in a few treatments with small and frequent rates of EFB application. Overall, between 12 (±16) and 56 (±12) t ha-1 of carbon were sequestered under the harvesting path after 21 years. Focussing on the mineral nutrition value of the EFB, oil palm companies apply a rate of 60 t of EFB every second year for their commercial production, and the analysis of three commercial plots showed that the commercial rate only increased POX-C while it had no effect on the total SOC and SOC stocks. It seems obvious that a change of paradigm is necessary to consider EFB recycling as a new management perspective, where the potential for carbon sequestration becomes an important variable for climate change mitigation besides the initial objective of integrating EFB application into the fertiliser management plan of a plantation.

Optimization of low-cost biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis SASCBT01 and their environmental remediation potential.

The present research aims to enhance the biosurfactant (BS) production using agricultural by-products as a low-cost substrate with the statistical approach. BS production from Bacillus subtilis SASCBT01 was carried out with four different variables such as pH, incubation time, cassava peel waste (CPW) and palmira sprout (PS). The model expected the highest emulsification activity of 65 ± 1·2% after 96-h incubation with 3·0 g l-1 of CPW and PS at pH 7·0. The SASCBT01 strain-based BS was successful at retrieving up to 18% and the highest Pb removal rates were found at 65%. These BS have considered high quality in bioremediation applications.

The Influence of UV Varnishes on the Content of Cysteine and Methionine in Women Nail Plates-Chromatographic Studies.

The main purpose of this work was to determine if the use of hybrid nail polishes causes changes in concentration of the most important sulfur amino acids that build nail plate structures, cysteine and methionine. We found that the average contents of cysteine and methionine in studied samples before the use of hybrid manicure were 1275.3 ± 145.9 nmol mg-1 and 111.7 ± 23.8 nmol mg-1, respectively. After six months of hybrid manicure use, the average amount of these sulfur amino acids in studied samples were 22.1% and 36.5% lower in the case of cysteine and methionine, respectively. The average amounts of cysteine and methionine in nail plate samples after the use of hybrid manicures were 992.4 ± 96.2 nmol mg-1 and 70.9 ± 14.8 nmol mg-1, respectively. We also confirmed that in studied women the application of UV light varnishes reduced the thickness of the nail plate, from 0.50 ± 0.12 mm before to 0.46 ± 0.12 mm after the use of the hybrid manicure.

Investigating the risk of breast cancer among women exposed to chemicals: a nested case-control study using improved exposure estimates.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine if exposures to chemicals at the workplace were associated with an increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, using improved exposure estimates. METHODS: The design is a case-control study, nested within a cohort of women from the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study. The study comprised 2400 women, 731 cases and 1669 matched controls, born 1923-1950 and living in Malmö, Sweden between 1991 and 1996. An occupational hygienist reclassified the probability for exposure given by a job-exposure matrix, using individual data on work tasks. First-time diagnoses of invasive breast cancer were identified through the Swedish Cancer Registry. RESULTS: Women exposed to chemicals in their occupational environment had a statistically significantly increased risk (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.11-2.29) of breast cancer, and the risk correlated positively with duration of exposure but not with exposure intensity. Women exposed to chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents for more than 10 years had a significant higher risk of breast cancer (OR 3.06, 95% CI 1.18-7.96) as well as women exposed to oil mist for more than 10 years (OR 3.08, 95% CI 1.12-8.49). CONCLUSIONS: This study gives some support to the hypothesis that exposure to organic solvents as well as oil mist is associated with increased risk of breast cancer.

Contact sensitization in metalworkers: Data from the information network of departments of dermatology (IVDK), 2010-2018.

BACKGROUND: Metalworkers are exposed to a variety of contact allergens by handling tools, metals, metalworking fluids (MWFs), oils and greases, rubber materials, and so on. Most large-scale reports on contact allergy due to MWFs are more than 10-years-old, and there are only few studies on contact allergy in mechanics and other metal workers not exposed to MWFs. OBJECTIVES: To describe a current spectrum of contact sensitization in metalworkers with occupational dermatitis (OD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patch test data collected by the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK; 2010-2018), stratifying for 804 cutting metalworkers, 2197 mechanics, and 355 other metalworkers. RESULTS: Cutting metalworkers were most frequently sensitized to monoethanolamine (12.6%), colophonium/abietic acid (11.4%) and formaldehyde releasers (up to 8.5%) from the MWF series, and formaldehyde (4.6%) and iodopropynyl butylcarbamate (4.6%) from the baseline series. Sensitization among mechanics and other metalworkers indicates possible occupational exposure to MWFs, glues, and resins, although this may not be expected from their job titles. CONCLUSIONS: The spectrum of MWF contact allergens remained largely unchanged during the last years. Taking a comprehensive occupational history is indispensable in order to not miss relevant allergen exposures.

Evaluating Quality Parameters, the Metabolic Profile, and Other Typical Features of Selected Commercial Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Brazil.

The production of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in Brazil developed quite recently, and information on commercial Brazilian EVOO's typical features is very scarce. In just one of the previously published works on Brazilian olive oil, the assessed samples were commercially available. In this study, a comprehensive characterization of EVOO samples acquired at local stores (at Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul, from the two most prevalent cultivars, Arbequina and Koroneiki) was carried out considering the most relevant quality parameters, antioxidant capacity, oxidative stability, total phenolic content, fatty acid composition, and minor component metabolic profiling. The latter included: (1) the determination of individual phenolic compounds (belonging to four diverse chemical classes) and triterpenic acids by means of a powerful multi-class reversed-phase LC-MS method; (2) the quantitative profiling of tocopherols, phytosterols, and pigments by normal-phase LC-DAD/fluorescence; and (3) the quantitative appraisal of the volatile pattern of the oils by solid-phase microextraction (SPME)-gas chromatography (GC)-MS. By applying these methods, the concentrations of approximately 70 minor compounds were determined in commercial EVOOs from Brazil. To the best of our knowledge, the content of a very large number of phenolic compounds of those determined in the current report (mainly secoiridoids), the three triterpenic acids (maslinic, betulinic, and oleanolic acids), and the individual chlorophyll derivatives had not been previously evaluated in Brazilian EVOOs. The present work provides a broad picture of the compositional profile and other parameters of relevance of selected commercial Brazilian EVOOs available on local markets, describing their typicity and most particular features, some of which are known to have potential impacts on consumers' health.

Development of Industrial Oil Crop Crambe abyssinica for Wax Ester Production through Metabolic Engineering and Cross Breeding.

As an important industrial feedstock, wax esters (WEs) have been used as lubricants in a number of technical processes. There is however currently no large-scale biological source for WE production and alteration in metabolic pathways of plant oils for producing WEs could be attractive to the commercial markets. Here, we present the breeding results of long-term studies on successful development of new crambe lines producing WEs through genetic engineering and cross breeding. The transgenic crambe lines producing WEs at over 25% of the total seed oil were first generated by introduction of the jojoba WE biosynthetic genes ScFAR and ScWS. Further improvement of the lines aiming at improving oxidative stability of WEs was achieved through introducing the CaFAD2-RNAi gene into these lines by crossing. The hybrid lines possessed similar agronomic traits to the wild type and a stable level of WEs over several generations, suggesting a high potential of crambe as an industrial crop for WE production.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in a cystic fibrosis patient.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is a chronic inflammatory lung disease caused by repeated inhalation of antigenic substances. We present a case of metalworking fluids (MWFs)-HP sensitized to Pseudomonas oleovorans in a cystic fibrosis patient. This case illustrates that HP diagnosis remains challenging, especially in patients with another pulmonary disease, and that serodiagnosis contributes to identifying the precise microorganism involved. It also demonstrates that P. oleovorans is an important secondary aetiological agent in MWF-HP, less known than Mycobacterium immunogenum.

Cleaning workers' exposure to volatile organic compounds and particulate matter during floor polish removal and reapplication.

The floor polish removal (FPR) and reapplication (FPA) are important cleaning tasks in public buildings that have hard floor surfaces. Usually, the FPR and FPA are conducted once or twice a year, during the periodic cleaning of these buildings. The FPR can be performed either chemically (CFPR) or by using dry scrubber (DFPR), when the polish is ground from the floor. In this study, cleaning workers' exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM) during the FPR and FPA, and the differences in the exposures between the two FPR methods were investigated. In total, three buildings located in Central Finland were included, and total of six cleaning workers (two per building) participated in the study. In Buildings 1 and 2, the CFPR and FPA were performed and in Building 3, the DFPR was conducted. TVOC (total volatile organic compounds) concentrations in the breathing zone of the workers during the CFPR were 8,740 and 390 µg/m3 (SD 3,290 and 180 µg/m3) for Buildings 1 and 2, respectively. During the DFPR in Building 3, the average TVOC concentration was 400 µg/m3 (SD 180 µg/m3, stationary sampling). The TVOC concentrations during the FPA were high, 1,640 and 2,170 µg/m3 on average (SD 1,570 and 930 µg/m3) for Buildings 1 and 2, respectively. Glycol ethers were the most prominent VOCs during the CFPR and FPA, whereas carboxylic acids were the most common during the DFPR. The inhalable dust concentrations in the workers' breathing zone were noticeably higher during the DFPR (1.55 mg/m3 on average, SD 0.01 mg/m3) than the CFPR (0.24 mg/m3 on average, SD 0.05 mg/m3). Finnish occupational exposure limit value for organic inhalable dust is 5 mg/m3. As the products used during the CFPR and FPA contain glycol ethers and ethanolamines that are absorbed via the skin as well, the use of skin protection is recommended. Whereas the use of FFP3 respirators and skin protection are recommended during the DFPR to prevent the PM exposure.

Genome annotation and comparative genomic analysis of Bacillus subtilis MJ01, a new bio-degradation strain isolated from oil-contaminated soil.

One of the main challenges in elimination of oil contamination from polluted environments is improvement of biodegradation by highly efficient microorganisms. Bacillus subtilis MJ01 has been evaluated as a new resource for producing biosurfactant compounds. This bacterium, which produces surfactin, is able to enhance bio-accessibility to oil hydrocarbons in contaminated soils. The genome of B. subtilis MJ01 was sequenced and assembled by PacBio RS sequencing technology. One big contig with a length of 4,108,293 bp without any gap was assembled. Genome annotation and prediction of gene showed that MJ01 genome is very similar to B. subtilis spizizenii TU-B-10 (95% similarity). The comparison and analysis of orthologous genes carried out between B. subtilis MJ01, reference strain B. subtilis subsp. subtilis str. 168, and close relative spizizenii TU-B-10 by microscope platform and various bioinformatics tools. More than 88% of 4269 predicted coding sequences in MJ01 had at least one similar sequence in genome of reference strain and spizizenii TU-B-10. Despite this high similarity, some differences were detected among encoding sequences of non-ribosome protein and bacteriocins in MJ01 and spizizenii TU-B-10. MJ01 has unique nucleotide sequences and a novel predicted lasso-peptide bacteriocin; it also has not any similar nucleotide sequence in non-redundant nucleotide data base.

Functional assessment of plant and microalgal lipid pathway genes in yeast to enhance microbial industrial oil production.

As promising alternatives to fossil-derived oils, microbial lipids are important as industrial feedstocks for biofuels and oleochemicals. Our broad aim is to increase lipid content in oleaginous yeast through expression of lipid accumulation genes and use Saccharomyces cerevisiae to functionally assess genes obtained from oil-producing plants and microalgae. Lipid accumulation genes DGAT (diacylglycerol acyltransferase), PDAT (phospholipid: diacylglycerol acyltransferase), and ROD1 (phosphatidylcholine: diacylglycerol choline-phosphotransferase) were separately expressed in yeast and lipid production measured by fluorescence, solvent extraction, thin layer chromatography, and gas chromatography (GC) of fatty acid methyl esters. Expression of DGAT1 from Arabidopsis thaliana effectively increased total fatty acids by 1.81-fold above control, and ROD1 led to increased unsaturated fatty acid content of yeast lipid. The functional assessment approach enabled the fast selection of candidate genes for metabolic engineering of yeast for production of lipid feedstocks.

Use of bacterial biosurfactants as natural collectors in the dissolved air flotation process for the treatment of oily industrial effluent.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the separation of oil from water using a bench-scale DAF prototype with the addition of biosurfactants isolated from Pseudomonas cepacia CCT6659 and Bacillus cereus UCP1615. The best operating conditions for the DAF prototype were determined using a central composite rotatable design. The results demonstrated that the biosurfactants from P. cepacia and B. cereus increased the oil separation efficiency from 53.74% (using only microbubbles) to 94.11 and 80.01%, respectively. The prediction models for both DAF-biosurfactant systems were validated, showing an increase in the efficiency of the DAF process from 53.74% to 98.55 and 70.87% using the formulated biosurfactants from P. cepacia and B. cereus, respectively. The biosurfactant from P. cepacia was selected as the more promising product and used for the treatment of oily effluent from a thermoelectric plant, achieving removal rates ranging between 75.74 (isolated biosurfactant) and 95.70% (formulated biosurfactant), respectively.

Development and Evaluation of Surfactant Nanocapsules for Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Applications.

The primary objective of this study is the synthesis of nanocapsules (NC) that allow the reduction of the adsorption process of surfactant over the porous media in enhanced oil recovery processes. Nanocapsules were synthesized through the nanoprecipitation method by encapsulating commercial surfactants Span 20 and Petro 50, and using type II resins isolated from vacuum residue as a shell. The NC were characterized using dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, solvency tests, softening point measurements and entrapment efficiency. The obtained NC showed spherical geometry with sizes of 71 and 120 nm for encapsulated Span 20 (NCS20), and Petro 50 surfactant (NCP50), respectively. Also, the NCS20 is composed of 90% of surfactant and 10% of type II resins, while the NCP50 material is 94% of surfactant and 6% of the shell. Nanofluids of nanocapsules dispersed in deionized water were prepared for evaluating the nanofluid­sandstone interaction from adsorption phenomena using a batch-mode method, contact angle measurements, and FTIR analysis. The results showed that NC adsorption was null at the different conditions of temperatures evaluated of 25, 50, and 70 °C, and stirring velocities up to 10,000 rpm. IFT measurements showed a reduction from 18 to 1.62 and 0.15 mN/m for the nanofluids with 10 mg/L of NCS20, and NCP50 materials, respectively. Displacements tests were conducted using a 20 °API crude oil in a quarter five-spot pattern micromodel and showed an additional oil recovery of 23% in comparison with that of waterflooding, with fewer pore volumes injected than when using a dissolved surfactant.

A rare case of orbital granulomatous inflammation from explosive hydraulic oil masquerading as orbital cellulitis.

The differential diagnosis for acute orbital inflammation is broad. We report a case of granulomatous orbital inflammation due to high-pressure oil injury to the orbit presenting as an atypical orbital cellulitis. Here we review the presentation and treatment of orbital inflammation from oil.