Source-specific geochemical and health risk assessment of anthropogenically induced metals in a tropical urban waterway.

Thorough deliberation is necessary to safeguard the tropical urban streams near the shoreline from human interference, as it is becoming a notable environmental danger. Consequently, an in-depth study was carried out on a significant urban waterway located on the southern seashore of Bangladesh, which is positioned in the Bengal delta, renowned as the largest delta in the globe. The current investigation assesses the potential health hazards associated with trace metals (Hg, Cu, As, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cd, Cr, Fe, and Mn) and uses chemometric analysis to determine where they originate. Likewise geochemical methods are used to analyze the levels of trace metal enrichment and pollution in the sediments of the river. Almost all of the elements' mean concentrations were observed to be within the standard limits. The findings not only demonstrate the extent of trace metal contamination but also the health threats that it poses to the public (male, female, and children) by polluting the sediment. For all age groups of people, the hazard index was <1, suggesting there was no non-carcinogenic threat. Regardless of age and sex, exposure occurred in descending order: ingestion > dermal > inhalation. Total carcinogenic risk (TCR) values for males, females, and children were 1.45E-05, 1.56E-05, and 1.34E-04, respectively, recommending that children are at greater vulnerability than adults. The geochemical approach and chemometric analysis corroborate the human-induced impact of trace metal loading in the sediment of the waterway, which is predominantly caused by the oil industry, domestic garbage, and untreated waste discharge.

XPS valence band observable light-responsive system for photocatalytic acid Red114 dye decomposition using a ZnO-Cu2O heterojunction.

ZnO-Cu2O composites were made as photocatalysts in a range of different amounts using an easy, cheap, and environment-friendly coprecipitation method due to their superior visible light activity to remove pollutants from the surrounding atmosphere. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) have demonstrated that ZnO-Cu2O catalysts are made of highly pure hexagonal ZnO and cubic Cu2O. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has confirmed that there is a substantial interaction between the two phases of the resultant catalyst. The optical characterizations of the synthesized ZnO-Cu2O composite were done via UV-vis reflectance spectroscopy. Due to the doping on ZnO, the absorption range of the ZnO-Cu2O catalyst is shifted from the ultraviolet to the visible region due to diffuse reflection. The degradation efficiency is affected by the Ratio of ZnO: Cu2O and ZnO-Cu2O composite with a proportion of 90:10 exhibited the most prominent photocatalytic activity on Acid Red 114, with a pseudo-first-order rate constant of 0.05032 min-1 that was 6 and 11 times greater than those of ZnO and Cu2O, respectively. The maximum degradation efficiency is 97 %. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the composite is caused by the synergistic interaction of ZnO and Cu2O, which improves visible light absorption by lowering band gap energy and decreasing the rate at which the electron-hole pairs recombine. The scavenging experiment confirmed that hydroxyl radical was the dominant species for the photodegradation of Acid Red 114. Notably, the recycling test demonstrated the ZnO-Cu2O photocatalyst was highly stable and recyclable. These results suggest that the ZnO-Cu2O mix might be able to clean up environmental pollutants when it meets visible light.

Holistic perilous index-based environmental appraisal of Metal(oid)s in the sole coral-bearing island of northeastern bay of Bengal.

This study aimed to evaluate the concentration, distribution, along with the environmental and human health impact of eight heavy metals-Pb, Cr, Cu, Cd, Zn, Mn, Ni, and As-on St. Martin's Island in the northeastern Bay of Bengal, and in doing so to help implement new legislations to protect the island. Focusing on the island's significance as a tourist destination, with seafood being a prominent dietary component, three sample types (sediment, seawater, and crustaceans) were selected for a comprehensive assessment, considering seasonal variations. Concentration of metals was observed to be lower than the established standards in sediment samples, but in seawater samples, Pb, Cr, Cd and Zn were higher than US-EPA values for natural marine water. The metals displayed a decreasing trend of Zn > Ni > Pb > Cu > Mn > As > Cd > Cr in crustacean samples for both seasons. Crustacean samples displayed higher metal concentrations in winter than in monsoon. Pb exceeded the maximum allowable limit for crustaceans with a concentration of about 3 and 4 mg kg-1 in monsoon and winter respectively; being more than 6-8 times the standard for Bangladesh which is only about 0.5 mg kg-1. Health indices displayed that although adults may suffer less from carcinogenic/non-carcinogenic health effects, the risks are far greater for children. For both age groups, As and Ni displayed possibilities of developing cancer. Principal Component Analysis (PCA)shed light on the sources of metals and showed that most of them were from anthropogenic sources. Overall, this study found that the quality of the environment of the island was better in comparison to previous studies made before the pandemic, and so, if the trend continues, it may lead to a better environment for the organisms around the island and help to keep the negative physiological impacts from the consumption of these organisms to a minimal.

Heavy metals in afforested mangrove sediment from the world's largest delta: Distributional mapping, contamination status, risk assessment and source tracing.

This study aims to assess seasonal and spatial variations, contamination status, ecological risks, and metal sources (Ni, Pb, Cr, Cu, Mn, and Zn) in human-afforested mangrove sediments in a deltaic region. Five sampling locations were sampled during dry and wet seasons. Heavy metal concentrations followed the order: Mn > Zn > Ni > Cr > Cu > Pb. Metal loads, except Cu and Pb, were higher during the dry season, aligning with national and international recommendations. Sediment quality guidelines, contamination factor, geoaccumulation index, enrichment factors, and pollution load index indicated uncontaminated sediment in both seasons. Potential ecological risk assessment showed low risk conditions in all sites. However, modified hazard quotient indicated moderate pollution risk from all metals except Pb. Analysis suggests anthropogenic sources, particularly evident near shipbreaking yards in Sitakunda. While initially uncontaminated, ongoing metal influx poses a potential risk to mangrove ecosystems.

WITHDRAWN: Trace metals translocation from soil to plants: Health risk assessment via consumption of vegetables in the urban sprawl of a developing country.

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Minerals and fatty acid profile of small indigenous fish species from homestead ponds within a Sub-tropical coastal region.

Malnutrition has emerged as a noticeable obstruction to the socio-economic advancement of rural areas along the coastal regions of Bangladesh. Small indigenous fish species (SIS) have the potential to alleviate the malnutrition issue because of having higher nutritional compositions. However, prior research has overlooked the detailed nutritional value of SIS originating from coastal regions. Consequently, the current investigation sought to analyze the mineral and fatty acid composition of twelve SIS obtained from coastal homestead ponds. The findings indicated that the mineral composition in SIS exhibited the following descending order: calcium (Ca) > phosphorus (P) > potassium (K) > magnesium (Mg) > iron (Fe) > zinc (Zn). Furthermore, when considering the overall mineral content in SIS, it ranked in the following decreasing order: A. testudineus, M. tengara, C. punctatus, N. nandus, P. sophore, C. fasciatus, A. mola, C. batrachus, H. fossilis, P. sarana, M. aculeatus, and O. pabda. The analysis of the fatty acid profile further revealed that SIS is a rich source of palmitic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, myristic acid, palmitoleic acid, and linolenic acid. The saturated fatty acid content of the SIS varied between 42.66 % and 63.37 %, and the highest content was found in A. mola whereas the lowest was in A. testudineus. On the other hand, the total monounsaturated fatty acid content of the SIS ranged from 26.49 % (A. mola) to 46.12 % (P. sarana), and the total PUFAs contents among the fish species ranged from 5.7 % (A. mola) to 16.54 % (H. fossilis). Therefore, SIS could be a key source of minerals and essential fatty acids for human well-being. This can help fulfill nutrient requirements and reduce malnutrition among coastal populations. It can be said that, if these fishes are introduced in the culture systems, it will be used for consumption as well as support the livelihood of coastal people.

Characterizing deaths among adult patients with severe acute respiratory infection: during the pre- and COVID-19 pandemic periods in Bangladesh, 2018-2022.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) is a leading cause of mortality globally, peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed SARI-associated deaths during the pre-and-pandemic periods in Bangladesh to identify the contributing factors. METHODS: We analyzed data from hospital-based influenza surveillance at nine tertiary-level hospitals in Bangladesh. We considered March 2018-February 2020 as the pre-pandemic period and March 2020-February 2022 as the pandemic period and included adult (≥ 18 years) participants in our study. Surveillance physicians identified WHO-SARI case definition meeting inpatients and collected demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes at hospital discharge and 30 days post-discharge. We performed rRT-PCR for influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses on collected nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs. We used multivariable Cox's regression models to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) for factors associated with SARI deaths in these adult patients. RESULTS: We enrolled 4392 SARI patients during the pre-pandemic and 3824 SARI patients during the pandemic period. Case fatality ratio was higher during the pandemic: 13.62% (521) [in-hospital: 6.45% (247); post-discharge: 7.17% (274)] compared to pre-pandemic, 6.01% (264) [in-hospital: 2.01% (89), post-discharge: 4% (175)] (p < 0.001). Pre-pandemic, influenza was detected in 14% (37/264) of SARI deaths. Influenza was detected during the pandemic in 2.3% (12/521), SARS-CoV-2 in 41.8% (218/521), and both viruses in only one SARI death. History of smoking and the presence of 1 or more co-morbid conditions independently attributed to SARI deaths in adults in the pre-pandemic period. SARI deaths in such patients were also associated with respiratory difficulties on admission in both pre-pandemic (aHR 2.36; 95% CI:1.65-3.36) and pandemic period (aHR 2.30; 95% CI: 1.57-3.35) after accounting for age, sex, smoking status, presence of 1 or more co-morbid conditions, and detection of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. CONCLUSIONS: During the pandemic, SARI mortality increased; influenza-associated mortality declined, and SARS-CoV-2 caused over a third of SARI deaths. Post-discharge mortality was higher than in-hospital mortality during both periods. Limiting premature discharge and strengthening post-discharge monitoring and nursing services could reduce unexpected deaths. Formative research to better understand post-discharge mortality is essential to reduce SARI deaths.

Power Electronics Revolutionized: A Comprehensive Analysis of Emerging Wide and Ultrawide Bandgap Devices.

This article provides a comprehensive review of wide and ultrawide bandgap power electronic semiconductor devices, comparing silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and the emerging device diamond technology. Key parameters examined include bandgap, critical electric field, electron mobility, voltage/current ratings, switching frequency, and device packaging. The historical evolution of each material is traced from early research devices to current commercial offerings. Significant focus is given to SiC and GaN as they are now actively competing with Si devices in the market, enabled by their higher bandgaps. The paper details advancements in material growth, device architectures, reliability, and manufacturing that have allowed SiC and GaN adoption in electric vehicles, renewable energy, aerospace, and other applications requiring high power density, efficiency, and frequency operation. Performance enhancements over Si are quantified. However, the challenges associated with the advancements of these devices are also elaborately described: material availability, thermal management, gate drive design, electrical insulation, and electromagnetic interference. Alongside the cost reduction through improved manufacturing, material availability, thermal management, gate drive design, electrical insulation, and electromagnetic interference are critical hurdles of this technology. The review analyzes these issues and emerging solutions using advanced packaging, circuit integration, novel cooling techniques, and modeling. Overall, the manuscript provides a timely, rigorous examination of the state of the art in wide bandgap power semiconductors. It balances theoretical potential and practical limitations while assessing commercial readiness and mapping trajectories for further innovation. This article will benefit researchers and professionals advancing power electronic systems.

Trace metals in transboundary (India-Myanmar-Bangladesh) anadromous fish Tenualosa ilisha and its consequences on human health.

Hilsa shad (Tenualosa ilisha, Hamilton, 1822), the highly coveted table fish within the Indian subcontinent, is Bangladesh's most significant single-species fishery. To assess the risk that toxic metals pose to human health, certain health risk indices-estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), total target hazard quotient (TTHQ), and target cancer risk (TR)-were calculated. The hierarchy of toxic metals (µg/g-ww) in Hilsa shad of the bay showed as Zn (13.64 ± 2.18) > Fe (9.25 ± 1.47) > Mn (2.98 ± 0.75) > Cu (0.57 ± 0.18) > Cr (0.23 ± 0.06) > Pb (0.22 ± 0.04) > As (0.08 ± 0.02) > Ni (0.06 ± 0.02) > Co (0.04 ± 0.01) > Cd (0.01 ± 0.003) in the wet season and Zn (11.45 ± 1.97) > Fe (10.51 ± 1.38) > Mn (3.80 ± 0.75) > Cu (0.73 ± 0.17) > Pb (0.30 ± 0.03) > Cr (0.20 ± 0.05) > As (0.09 ± 0.01) > Ni (0.08 ± 0.02) > Co (0.07 ± 0.02) > Cd (0.02 ± 0.004) in the dry season. The EDI of all the examined trace metals indicated no risk to human health from consuming Hilsa fish. The estimation of THQ and TTHQ suggested that the ingestion of both individual and combined trace metals through Hilsa shad consumption was safe from the perspective of human health. Also, there was no evidence of carcinogenic risk for consumers based on the evaluation of the TR value of metals (As, Pb, Cd, and Ni) due to Hilsa shad consumption.

Sediment-bound hazardous trace metals(oid) in south-eastern drainage system of Bangladesh: First assessment on human health.

Despite the beneficial aspect of a natural drainage system, increasing human-induced activities, which include urbanization and growth in industrialization, degrade the ecosystem in terms of trace metal contamination. In response, given the great importance of the south-eastern drainage system in Bangladesh, a detailed evaluation of the human health risk as well as the potential ecological risk of trace metals (Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, V, Zn, and As) in Karnaphuli riverbed sediment was conducted. Mean levels of the elements in mg/kg were As (5.62 ± 1.47); Se (0.84 ± 0.61); Hg (0.37 ± 0.23); Be (1.17 ± 0.49); Pb (15.62 ± 8.42); Cd (0.24 ± 0.33); Co (11.59 ± 4.49); Cr (112.75 ± 40.09); Cu (192.67 ± 49.71); V (27.49 ± 10.95); Zn (366.83 ± 62.82); Ni (75.83 ± 25.87). Pollution indicators, specifically contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), degree of contamination (Cd), enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and potential ecological risk index (RI), were computed to assess sediment quality. For the first observation of health risk, chronic daily intake (CDI), hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI), carcinogenic risk (CR) and total carcinogenic risk (TCR) indices were calculated. According to the results, CDI values through the ingestion route of both the adult and child groups were organized in the following descending mode respectively: Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > V > Pb > Co > As > Se > Be > Cd > Hg. The non-carcinogenic risks were generally low for all routes of exposure, except HQingestion was slightly higher for both adults and children. The calculated hazard index (HI) was, nevertheless, within the permitted range (HI < 1). Similarly, none of the metals exhibited any carcinogenic risks, as all CR values were within the 10-4-10-6 range. The need for authoritative efforts and water policy for the sake of the surrounding ecosystem and human health in the vicinity of the examined watershed is strongly felt as an outcome of this study. The purpose of this study is to protect public health by identifying trace metal sources and reducing industrial and domestic discharge into this natural drainage system.

Development of Methamphetamine Conjugated Vaccine through Hapten Design: In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization.

BACKGROUND: Methamphetamine (METH) substance-use disorder is an ever-growing global health issue with no effective treatment. Anti-METH vaccines are under investigation as an alternative to existing psychological interventions. This platform has made significant progress over past decades mainly in preclinical stages, and efforts to develop an anti-METH vaccine with a high antibody response are of utmost importance. METHODOLOGY: A novel conjugated anti-METH vaccine was developed using METH HCl as the starting material for the design of hapten, a peptide linker consisting of five lysines and five glycines, and finally immunogenic carrier mannan, which is novel to this platform. All the chemical reaction steps were confirmed by several analytical techniques, and the immunogenicity of the developed vaccine was investigated in a mouse model. RESULTS: Thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography confirmed the reaction between METH and peptide linker. UV, NMR and color tests were used to confirm the presence of the aldehyde groups in oxidized mannan (OM). The final conjugated vaccine was confirmed by UV and LC-MS. The stability of mannan, the METH hapten, and the final vaccine was evaluated by UV and LC-MS and demonstrated satisfactory stability over 3 months in various storage conditions. Animal studies supported the immunogenicity of the novel vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully developed and characterized a novel METH vaccine in vitro and in vivo. The present study findings are encouraging and will form the basis of further exploration to assess its effectiveness to prevent METH addiction in preclinical models.

Tryptophan and Substance Abuse: Mechanisms and Impact.

Addiction, the continuous misuse of addictive material, causes long-term dysfunction in the neurological system. It substantially affects the control strength of reward, memory, and motivation. Addictive substances (alcohol, marijuana, caffeine, heroin, methamphetamine (METH), and nicotine) are highly active central nervous stimulants. Addiction leads to severe health issues, including cardiovascular diseases, serious infections, and pulmonary/dental diseases. Drug dependence may result in unfavorable cognitive impairments that can continue during abstinence and negatively influence recovery performance. Although addiction is a critical global health challenge with numerous consequences and complications, currently, there are no efficient options for treating drug addiction, particularly METH. Currently, novel treatment approaches such as psychological contingency management, cognitive behavioral therapy, and motivational enhancement strategies are of great interest. Herein, we evaluate the devastating impacts of different addictive substances/drugs on users' mental health and the role of tryptophan in alleviating unfavorable side effects. The tryptophan metabolites in the mammalian brain and their potential to treat compulsive abuse of addictive substances are investigated by assessing the functional effects of addictive substances on tryptophan. Future perspectives on developing promising modalities to treat addiction and the role of tryptophan and its metabolites to alleviate drug dependency are discussed.

Tuning the electrochemical behavior of graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide via doping hexagonal BN for high capacity negative electrodes for Li and Na ion batteries.

Inspired by the recently synthesized hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) doped graphene, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to evaluate the anodic properties of BN doped graphene (BN-G), graphene oxide (BN-GO) and reduced graphene oxide (BN-rGO) for Li/Na ion batteries (LIBs/NIBs). Our proposed materials show a semiconducting character with band gaps of 1.4, 0.67 and 0.45 eV for BN-G, BN-GO and BN-rGO, respectively. Among the three nanosheets, BN-rGO shows strong interaction behavior with Li/Na whereby the defected site exhibits high reactivity compared to the other adsorption sites. The adsorption energies are found to be about -4.72/-4.10 eV for Li/Na at the defected site, which are consecutively 3 and 2 times stronger than the adsorption energies of BN-G and BN-GO. It is predicted by partial density of states (PDOS) and band structure analysis that the nanosheets will exhibit metallic behavior through the adsorption process. Relatively low diffusion barriers are found to be about 0.47 and 0.22 eV when Li and Na moved from one adsorption site to another nearby adsorption site on BN-rGO. Among them, BN-rGO shows a high specific capacity, about 1583 and 1319 mA h g-1 for LIBs and NIBs. Therefore, the suitable adsorption energy with metallic behavior of the nanosheet combined with the high specific capacity confirm that BN-rGO is a promising anode candidate for Li/Na ion batteries.

Trace metal exposure and human health consequences through consumption of market-available Oreochromis niloticus (L.) in Bangladesh.

Using Oreochromis niloticus (L.), commonly known as tilapia, as a model, this study evaluated the exposure of trace metal and their risk assessment on human health. In addition, the status of amino acids, fatty acids, vital elements, and their benefits is also studied. Estimating the nutrient composition of fish muscle is necessary to ensure that it meets the requirements for human health, food regulations, and commercial specifications. The species examined contained appreciable concentrations of amino acids, fatty acid content, and minerals, suggesting that the fish species could be a good source of protein, fat, and minerals. Hazardous heavy metals were found to be lower compared to their corresponding maximum tolerable limits. The order of trace metals is Zn (22,709 µg/kg) > Fe (19,878 µg/kg) > Cu (1261 µg /kg) > Mn (1228 µg/kg) > Cr (474 µg/kg) > Ni (152 µg/kg) As (318 µg /kg) > Pb (281 µg/kg) > Co (24 µg /kg) > Cd (13 µg/kg) > Hg (5 µg/kg); a number of health-related indices, including estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), and hazard index (HI), as well as carcinogenic risk (CR) indices for adult and children, were calculated to evaluate the human health hazard of the heavy metals. The THQ and HI of heavy metals for tilapia are lower than 1, posing a non-carcinogenic threat to human health due to the biomagnifications of these deadly poisonous metals. Principal component, cluster, and correlation analyses delineated the common probabilistic sources of metal contamination origin and significant inter-parameter associations. Although no human health risks for the consumption of tilapia was found, more attention must be paid for the monitoring of Oreochromis niloticus before entering the market.

Interaction of Anagrelide drug molecule on pristine and doped boron nitride nanocages: a DFT, RDG, PCM and QTAIM investigation.

Nowadays, a nanostructure-based drug delivery system is one of the most noticeable topics to be studied, and in this regard, boron nitride nanoclusters are promising drug carriers for targeted drug delivery systems. In this article, the interaction mechanism of Anagrelide (AG) drug with B12N12 and Al- and Ga-doped B12N12 nanocages have been investigated using DFT with B3LYP/6-31 G (d, p) method in both gas and water media. All our studied complexes are thermodynamically stable, and doped nanocage complexes have higher negative adsorption energy (EAd.) and negative solvation energy than AG/B12N12 complexes which correspond to the stability of these systems in both media. The negative highest EAd value is 64.98 kcal/mol (63.17 kcal/mol) and 65.69 kcal/mol (65.11 kcal/mol) in gas (water) media for complex F (AG/AlB11N12) and complex I (AG/GaB11N12) respectively, which refers to the highest stability of these systems. The enhanced values of dipole moment (from 12.40 (12.65) Debye to 17.21 (17.69) Debye in complex F (complex I)) also confirm their stability. The QTAIM and RDG analysis endorse the strong adsorption nature of the AG drug onto the AlB11N12, and GaB11N12 nanocages, which is consistent with the adsorption energy as chemisorption occurs for these complexes. According to the electronic properties, doped nanocages show high sensitivity that infers their promising nature for drug delivery purposes. Thus, complex F and complex I are promising drug delivery systems, and doped nanocages (AlB11N12 and GaB11N12) are better carriers than pristine nanocages for the AG drug delivery system.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Heavy Metals in Four Marine Fish and Shrimp Species from a Subtropical Coastal Area: Accumulation and Consumer Health Risk Assessment.

Trace-element or heavy-metal pollution has emerged as a serious concern in terms of both environmental and human health issues. This study measured six trace and toxic heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, and Zn) in four marine fish and shrimp species to assess their accumulation levels and evaluate the risks to human health. The mean concentrations of the metals in fish and shrimp species (Labeo bata, Sillaginopsis panijus, Platycepalus fuscus, and Penaeus monodon) followed the decreasing order of Zn (40.8 ± 9.7 µg/g) > Cu (17.8 ± 7.1 µg/g) > Pb (6.2 ± 1.8 µg/g) > Ni (0.4 ± 0.3 µg/g) > Cd (0.06 ± 0.02 µg/g > Cr (below detection level). Among the metals, only Pb in finfish and Pb, Cu, and Zn in shrimp samples exceeded the national recommended limits, representing possible risks to consumers. The mean metal concentrations in the studied fish/shrimp species followed the descending order of P. monodon > S. panijus > P. fuscus > L. bata, which implies that bottom dwellers and omnivores had higher levels of metals. However, the estimated daily intake (EDI) concentrations of Zn and Cu for the studied species were lower than the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance). In addition, the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI or TTHQ) values for all species were < 1, indicating that consumers might not experience carcinogenic health risks. A strong significant (p < 0.05) correlation between Cu and Pb (r = 0.623) and Zn and Cu (r = −0.871) indicated they were from the same source of origin. Cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated possible anthropogenic sources of toxic metals in the study area, specifically industrial wastes and agricultural chemicals.

Immunotherapies for the Treatment of Drug Addiction.

Substance use disorders (SUD) are a serious public health concern globally. Existing treatment platforms suffer from a lack of effectiveness. The development of immunotherapies against these substances of abuse for both prophylactic and therapeutic use has gained tremendous importance as an alternative and/or supplementary to existing therapies. Significant development has been made in this area over the last few decades. Herein, we highlight the vaccine and other biologics development strategies, preclinical, clinical updates along with challenges and future directions. Articles were searched in PubMed, ClinicalTrial.gov, and google electronic databases relevant to development, preclinical, clinical trials of nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine, and opioid vaccines. Various new emerging vaccine development strategies for SUD were also identified through this search and discussed. A good number of vaccine candidates demonstrated promising results in preclinical and clinical phases and support the concept of developing a vaccine for SUD. However, there have been no ultimate success as yet, and there remain some challenges with a massive push to take more candidates to clinical trials for further evaluation to break the bottleneck.

Contamination status and associated ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in different wetland sediments from an urbanized estuarine ecosystem.

Sediment samples of different wetland types (saltmarsh, mangrove, tidal pool, mudflat and sandflat) from an urbanized estuary were analyzed to evaluate the contamination level and ecological risks of five heavy metals (Pb, Fe, Zn, Ni and Cr). The findings showed that the mean concentration (mg/kg) of heavy metals followed the order of Fe > Zn > Ni > Pb > Cr, while Pb and Fe concentrations exceeded the recommended guidelines. Heavy metals levels were highest in saltmarsh and mudflats. Contamination assessment indices e.g., contamination factor (CF), degree of contamination (CD), enrichment factor (EF), and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) revealed that the studied wetlands had low to moderate levels of pollution, meaning these sites receive medium levels of anthropogenic contamination compared with background values. For some of the studied metals, such as Pb, Zn, Fe, and Ni, the EF value was >1 in certain types of wetland, indicating anthropogenic sources, while Cr was <1 indicating natural sources. The pollution load index (PLI) value was determined to be <1, indicating perfection of soil, and was in the following order: mudflat> saltmarsh> tidal pool> mangrove > sandflat. The ecological risk (RI) value was the highest for saltmarsh and the lowest for sandflats. However, the RI value for Cr, Zn, Ni, and Pb was <30 suggesting that these metals pose a low risk in the local ecosystem. Cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), and Pearson's correlation specified that anthropogenic sources of metals.

Water Oxidation by Pentapyridyl Base Metal Complexes? A Case Study.

The design of molecular water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) requires a rational approach that considers the intermediate steps of the catalytic cycle, including water binding, deprotonation, storage of oxidizing equivalents, O-O bond formation, and O2 release. We investigated several of these properties for a series of base metal complexes (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) bearing two variants of a pentapyridyl ligand framework, of which some were reported previously to be active WOCs. We found that only [Fe(Py5OMe)Cl]+ (Py5OMe = pyridine-2,6-diylbis[di-(pyridin-2-yl)methoxymethane]) showed an appreciable catalytic activity with a turnover number (TON) = 130 in light-driven experiments using the [Ru(bpy)3]2+/S2O82- system at pH 8.0, but that activity is demonstrated to arise from the rapid degradation in the buffered solution leading to the formation of catalytically active amorphous iron oxide/hydroxide (FeOOH), which subsequently lost the catalytic activity by forming more extensive and structured FeOOH species. The detailed analysis of the redox and water-binding properties employing electrochemistry, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), UV-vis spectroscopy, and density-functional theory (DFT) showed that all complexes were able to undergo the MIII/MII oxidation, but none was able to yield a detectable amount of a MIV state in our potential window (up to +2 V vs SHE). This inability was traced to (i) the preference for binding Cl- or acetonitrile instead of water-derived species in the apical position, which excludes redox leveling via proton coupled electron transfer, and (ii) the lack of sigma donor ligands that would stabilize oxidation states beyond MIII. On that basis, design features for next-generation molecular WOCs are suggested.

Role of metal and anions in organo-metal halide perovskites CH3NH3MX3 (M: Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Sn, Pb; X: Cl, Br, I) on structural and optoelectronic properties for photovoltaic applications.

Methylammonium metal halide perovskites have recently been explored for new uses due to their unique and exciting optoelectronic properties. Their exceptional electronic properties have often been attributed to the overlap between the metal cation s and halogen p states. In this study, density functional theory calculations have been carried out based on the orthorhombic phase of the organometal trihalide perovskite CH3NH3MX3 (M: Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Sn, Pb; X: Cl, Br, I) to systematically investigate the effects of the metal cation and halogen anion on the structural, electronic, and optical properties for solar cell applications. The calculated lattice parameters agree well with previously obtained experimental and theoretical results. All of these perovskites are direct band gap compounds at the G symmetry point, except CH3NH3GaX3. The band gap increases from iodide to chloride and also with the metal cation size, from Ge to Pb or Cu to Zn. Furthermore, metal halide perovskites show blue shifts in their optical absorption spectra with an increase in metal cation size. Among the studied examples, CH3NH3GaBr3 and CH3NH3CuCl3 absorb a wide range of light, from UV to the visible region, and possess very unusual high dielectric constants and refractive indices. Our calculations reveal that CH3NH3SnI3, CH3NH3GeI3, and CH3NH3ZnI3 are favorable candidates for lead-free photovoltaic applications.