A comprehensive review of micro- and nano-plastics in the atmosphere: Occurrence, fate, toxicity, and strategies for risk reduction.

Micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) have received considerable attention over the past 10 years due to their environmental prevalence and potential toxic effects. With the increase in global plastic production and disposal, MNP pollution has become a topic of emerging concern. In this review, we describe MNPs in the atmospheric environment, and potential toxicological effects of exposure to MNPs. Studies have reported the occurrence of MNPs in outdoor and indoor air at concentrations ranging from 0.0065 items m-3 to 1583 items m-3. Findings have identified plastic fragments, fibers, and films in sizes predominantly <1000 µm with polyamide (PA), polyester (PES), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), rayon, polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) as the major compounds. Exposure through indoor air and dust is an important pathway for humans. Airborne MNPs pose health risks to plants, animals, and humans. Atmospheric MNPs can enter organism bodies via inhalation and subsequent deposition in the lungs, which triggers inflammation and other adverse health effects. MNPs could be eliminated through source reduction, policy/regulation, environmental awareness and education, biodegradable materials, bioremediation, and efficient air-filtration systems. To achieve a sustainable society, it is crucial to implement effective strategies for reducing the usage of single-use plastics (SUPs). Further, governments play a pivotal role in addressing the pressing issue of MNPs pollution and must establish viable solutions to tackle this significant challenge.

Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in peatland areas: A case study in Long An province of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.

Vietnam is known as one of the high plastic consumption countries in Southeast Asia. This study initially determined characteristics of microplastics (MPs) including morphology, polymer type, and abundance at peatland areas in Mekong Delta in Vietnam. The MPs level was found with an average abundance of 192.3 ± 261.3 items kg-1. In details, those values at Thanh Hoa, Duc Hue, and Tan Thanh were observed at 57.0 ± 110.4 items kg-1, 7.0 ± 10.6 items kg-1, and 513.0 ± 186.9 items kg-1, respectively. The results indicated that MP particle contaminations in peatland sediments are significant among sampling sites (p < 0.001). Also, FT-IR analysis indicated that polyvinyl chloride is the primary polymer (46.2 %), followed by polyethylene (20.9 %), and polypropylene (9.2 %) in peatland samples and their composition varies in different regions significantly. The fragments (67.0 %) and films (24.6 %) were the most common shapes, followed by fibers (7.6 %) and foams (0.9 %). Small MPs with particle size (300-1000 µm) was the most abundant in sediment samples. Moreover, the most popular colors observed in peatland sediments were aqua (26.6 %), white (25.6 %), blue (25.4 %), and green (12.7 %). Our findings indicated that anthropogenic factors and environmental processes that caused the transformation/transportation and accumulation, leading to rising MP contaminant concerns in peatland areas in Mekong Delta in Vietnam, mainly in terms of the spatial distribution of MPs. In summary, this study provided an in-depth knowledge of microplastic pollution in peatland areas, which is crucial for the building sustainable development strategies in these areas.

PTK2 expression and immunochemotherapy outcome in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Addition of rituximab (R) to fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC) has significantly improved patient outcomes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Whether baseline gene expression can identify patients who will benefit from immunochemotherapy over chemotherapy alone has not been determined. We assessed genome-wide expression of 300 pretreatment specimens from a subset of 552 patients in REACH, a study of FC or R-FC in relapsed CLL. An independent test set was derived from 282 pretreatment specimens from CLL8, a study of FC or R-FC in treatment-naïve patients. Genes specific for benefit from R-FC were determined by assessing treatment-gene interactions in Cox proportional hazards models. REACH patients with higher pretreatment protein tyrosine kinase 2 (PTK2) messenger RNA levels derived greater benefit from R-FC, with significant improvements in progression-free survival, independent of known prognostic factors in a multivariate model. Examination of PTK2 gene expression in CLL8 patients yielded similar results. Furthermore, PTK2 inhibition blunted R-dependent cell death in vitro. This retrospective analysis from 2 independent trials revealed that increased PTK2 expression is associated with improved outcomes for CLL patients treated with R-FC vs FC. PTK2 expression may be a useful biomarker for patient selection in future trials. These trials were registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00090051 (REACH) and #NCT00281918 (CLL8).