An overview on the current available treatment for COVID-19 and the impact of antibiotic administration during the pandemic

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has caused several problems in healthcare systems around the world, as to date, there is no effective and specific treatment against all forms of COVID-19. Currently, drugs with therapeutic potential are being tested, including antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-malarial, immunotherapy, and antibiotics. Although antibiotics have no direct effect on viral infections, they are often used against secondary bacterial infections, or even as empiric treatment to reduce viral load, infection, and replication of coronaviruses. However, there are many concerns about this therapeutic approach as it may accelerate and/or increase the long-term rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We focused this overview on exploring candidate drugs for COVID-19 therapy, including antibiotics, considering the lack of specific treatment and that it is unclear whether the widespread use of antibiotics in the treatment of COVID-19 has implications for the emergence and transmission of multidrug-resistant bacteria.

An overview on the current available treatment for COVID-19 and the impact of antibiotic administration during the pandemic.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has caused several problems in healthcare systems around the world, as to date, there is no effective and specific treatment against all forms of COVID-19. Currently, drugs with therapeutic potential are being tested, including antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-malarial, immunotherapy, and antibiotics. Although antibiotics have no direct effect on viral infections, they are often used against secondary bacterial infections, or even as empiric treatment to reduce viral load, infection, and replication of coronaviruses. However, there are many concerns about this therapeutic approach as it may accelerate and/or increase the long-term rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We focused this overview on exploring candidate drugs for COVID-19 therapy, including antibiotics, considering the lack of specific treatment and that it is unclear whether the widespread use of antibiotics in the treatment of COVID-19 has implications for the emergence and transmission of multidrug-resistant bacteria.

A new species of Parapharyngodon Chatterji, 1933 (Oxyuroidea: Pharyngodonidae), parasitic in Osteocephalus taurinus (Anura: Hylidae) from Brazil.

Parapharyngodon politoedi n. sp. is described here, based on specimens found in the large intestines of Osteocephalus taurinus from the Caxiuanã National Forest, State of Pará, Brazil. The new species is assigned to Parapharyngodon based on the presence of non-embryonated eggs with sub-terminal opercula, when in the ovijector. Parapharyngodon politoedi belongs to a group of species with three pairs of cloacal papillae and differs from its congeners by morphometric aspects, such as the length of the spicule, and the combination of the following morphological characters: ovaries never encircling the oesophagus, tail shape in females, cloacal lips, sharply pointed spicule and presence of genital cone. This is the second species of nematode reported to parasitize O. taurinus and the eleventh species of Parapharyngodon from hylids in the Neotropical region.

Treatment of real industrial wastewaters through nano-TiO2 and nano-Fe2O3 photocatalysis: case study of mining and kraft pulp mill effluents.

High quantities of industrial wastewaters containing a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants are being directly discharged into the environment, sometimes without proper treatment. Nanotechnology has a tremendous potential improving the existing treatments or even develop new treatment solutions. In this study, nano-TiO2 or nano-Fe2O3 was used for the photocatalytic treatment of kraft pulp mill effluent and mining effluent. The experiments with the organic effluent lead to reduction percentages of 93.3%, 68.4% and 89.8%, for colour, aromatic compounds and chemical oxygen demand, respectively, when treated with nano-TiO2/H2O2/UV and nano-Fe2O3/H2O2/UV, at pH 3.0. Significant removal of metals from the mining effluent was recorded but only for Zn, Al and Cd, the highest removal attained with 1.0 g L-1 of nano-TiO2/UV and nano-Fe2O3/UV. Regarding the toxicity of the organic effluent to Vibrio fischeri, it was reduced with the treatments combining the oxidant and the catalyst. However, for the inorganic effluent, the best reduction was achieved using 1.0 g L-1 of catalyst. In fact, the increase in dose of the catalyst, especially for nano-TiO2, enhanced toxicity reduction. Our results have shown that the use of these NMs seemed to be more effective in the organic effluent than in metal-rich effluent.

Salinity induced effects on the growth rates and mycelia composition of basidiomycete and zygomycete fungi.

Soil salinization, as the combination of primary and secondary events, can adversely affect organisms inhabiting this compartment. In the present study, the effects of increased salinity were assessed in four species of terrestrial fungi: Lentinus sajor caju, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Rhizopus oryzae and Trametes versicolor. The mycelial growth and biochemical composition of the four fungi were determined under three exposure scenarios: 1) exposure to serial dilutions of natural seawater (SW), 2) exposure to serial concentrations of NaCl (potential surrogate of SW); and 3) exposure to serial concentrations of NaCl after a period of pre-exposure to low levels of NaCl. The toxicity of NaCl was slightly higher than that of SW, for all fungi species: the conductivities causing 50% of growth inhibition (EC50) were within 14.9 and 22.0 mScm-1 for NaCl and within 20.2 and 34.1 mScm-1 for SW. Phanerochaete chrysosporium showed to be the less sensitive species, both for NaCl and SW. Exposure to NaCl caused changes in the biochemical composition of fungi, mainly increasing the production of polysaccharides. When fungi were exposed to SW this pattern of biochemical response was not observed. Fungi pre-exposed to low levels of salinity presented higher EC50 than fungi non-pre-exposed, though 95% confidence limits overlapped, with the exception of P. chrysosporium. Pre-exposure to low levels of NaCl also induced changes in the biochemical composition of the mycelia of L. sajor caju and R. oryzae, relatively to the respective control. These results suggest that some terrestrial fungi may acquire an increased tolerance to NaCl after being pre-exposed to low levels of this salt, thus, suggesting their capacity to persist in environments that will undergo salinization. Furthermore, NaCl could be used as a protective surrogate of SW to derive safe salinity levels for soils, since it induced toxicity similar or higher than that of SW.

Histopathological and molecular effects of microplastics in Eisenia andrei Bouché.

The ocean has been assumed as the main sink of microplastics (MPs), however, soils may also receive MPs from different sources and through different pathways, which may affect the biota and their role in soil functions. To the best of our knowledge, only one study, until now, reported the effects of MPs on the survival and fitness of soil organisms (Lumbricus terrestris). In our study, epigeic earthworms, of the species E. andrei, were exposed to different concentrations of MPs (0, 62.5, 125, 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg soildw) in an OECD artificial soil and tested for reproduction, survival and growth of adults, following a standard protocol. The size of the polyethylene MPs to which earthworms were exposed ranged between 250 and 1000 µm. No significant effects were recorded on survival, number of juveniles and, in the final weight of adult earthworms after 28d of exposure, to the different concentrations of MPs. Nevertheless, FTIR-ATR of earthworms and histopathological analysis of the gut provided evidences of damages and immune system responses to MPs.

Effects of dietary exposure to herbicide and of the nutritive quality of contaminated food on the reproductive output of Daphnia magna.

Risk assessment of pesticides has been based on direct toxic effects on aquatic organisms. Indirect effects data are taken into account but with limitations, as it is frequently difficult to predict their real impacts in the ecosystems. In this context the main aim of this work was to assess how the exposure to the herbicide pendimethalin (Prowl(®)), under environmentally relevant concentrations, may compromise the nutritional composition of food for a relevant group of primary consumers of freshwater food webs-the daphnids, thus affecting their reproduction performance and subsequently the long-term sustainability of active populations of this grazer. Therefore, Daphnia magna individuals were chronically exposed in a clean medium to a control diet (NCF - i.e., non-contaminated green algae Raphidocelis subcapitata) and to a contaminated diet (CF - i.e., the same monoalgal culture grown in a medium enriched with pendimethalin in a concentration equivalent to the EC20 for growth inhibition of algae), during which reproductive endpoints were assessed. The algae were analysed for protein, carbohydrate and fatty acid content. The chemical composition of R. subcapitata in the CF revealed a slight decrease on total fatty acid levels, with a particular decrease of essential ω9 monounsaturated fatty acids. In contrast, the protein content was high in the CF. D. magna exposed to CF experienced a 16% reduction in reproduction, measured as the total number of offspring produced per female. Additionally, an internal pendimethalin body burden of 4.226µgg(-1) was accumulated by daphnids fed with CF. Hence, although it is difficult to discriminate the contribution of the pesticide (as a toxic agent transferred through the food web) from that of the food with a poor quality-compromised by the same pesticide, there are no doubts that, under environmentally relevant concentrations of pesticides, both pathways may compromise the populations of freshwater grazers in the long term, with consequences in the control of the primary productivity of these systems.

Assessing the ecotoxicity of metal nano-oxides with potential for wastewater treatment.

The rapid development of nanotechnology and the increasing use of nanomaterials (NMs) raise concern about their fate and potential effects in the environment, especially for those that could be used for remediation purposes and that will be intentionally released to the environment. Despite the remarkable emerging literature addressing the biological effects of NMs to aquatic organisms, the existing information is still scarce and contradictory. Therefore, aimed at selecting NMs for the treatment of organic and inorganic effluents, we assessed the potential toxicity of NiO (100 and 10-20 nm), Fe2O3 (≈85 × 425 nm), and TiO2 (<25 nm), to a battery of aquatic organisms: Vibrio fischeri, Raphidocelis subcapitata, Lemna minor, Daphnia magna, Brachionus plicatilis, and Artemia salina. Also a mutagenic test was performed with two Salmonella typhimurium strains. Suspensions of each NM, prepared with the different test media, were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and eletrophoretic light scattering (ELS). For the assays with marine species, no toxicity was observed for all the compounds. In opposite, statistically significant effects were produced on all freshwater species, being D. magna the most sensitive organism. Based on the results of this study, the tested NMs can be classified in a decreasing order of toxicity NiO (100 nm) > NiO (10-20 nm) > TiO2 (<25 nm) > Fe2O3, allowing to infer that apparently Fe2O3 NMs seems to be the one with less risks for receiving aquatic systems.

Biological treatment with fungi of olive mill wastewater pre-treated by photocatalytic oxidation with nanomaterials.

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) still is a major environmental problem due to its high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phenolic content (TPC), contributing for the high toxicity and recalcitrant nature. Several attempts have been made for developing more efficient treatment processes, but no chemical or biological approaches were found to be totally effective, especially in terms of toxicity reduction. In this context, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the treatability of OMW by the combination of photocatalytic oxidation, using two nanomaterials as catalysts (TiO2 and Fe2O3), with biological degradation by fungi (Pleurotus sajor caju and Phanerochaete chrysosporium). Photocatalytic oxidation was carried out using different systems, nano-TiO2/UV, nano-Fe2O3/UV, nano-TiO2/H2O2/UV and nano-Fe2O3/H2O2/UV. The effectiveness of the treatment was assessed through color (465nm), aromatics (270nm), COD and TPC reductions, as well as by the decrease in toxicity using the bacterium Vibrio fischeri. The chemical treatment with the system nano-TiO2/H2O2/UV promoted 43%, 14%, 38% and 31% reductions in color, aromatics content, COD and TPC, respectively. However no toxicity reduction was observed. The combination with a biological treatment increased the reduction of COD and TPC as well as a reduction in toxicity. The treatment with P. chrysosporium promoted the highest reduction in toxicity, but P. sajor caju was responsible for the best reduction in COD and TPC. However, the biological treatment was more effective when no hydrogen peroxide was used in the pre-treatment.

Antioxidative peptides: trends and perspectives for future research.

In recent years, much attention has been given to dietary antioxidants, especially polyphenols. Several peptides derived from protein molecules have also been found to show antioxidant capacity along with other biological properties and thus there is an increasing interest in these compounds as health promoters. This review summarizes and discusses the main sources of antioxidative peptides with focus on food-derived peptides (animal, plant and marine sources), methods of preparation, antioxidant capacity evaluation as well as their proposed mechanisms of action. A discussion of the potential health effects and comments on the different applications for these antioxidants and their potential research interest are also subject of this review.

Toxicity and genotoxicity of organic and inorganic nanoparticles to the bacteria Vibrio fischeri and Salmonella typhimurium.

The present work aimed at evaluating the toxicity and genotoxicity of two organic (vesicles composed of sodium dodecyl sulphate/didodecyl dimethylammonium bromide-SDS/DDAB and of monoolein and sodium oelate-Mo/NaO) and four inorganic (titanium oxide-TiO2, silicon titanium-TiSiO4, Lumidot-CdSe/ZnS, and gold nanorods) nanoparticles (NP), suspended in two aqueous media (Milli Q water and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) hardwater), to the bacteria Vibrio fischeri (Microtox test) and Salmonella typhimurium-his⁻ (Ames test with strains TA98 and TA100). Aiming a better understanding of these biological responses physical and chemical characterization of the studied NP suspensions was carried out. Results denoted a high aggregation state of the NP in the aqueous suspensions, with the exception of SDS/DDAB and Mo/NaO vesicles, and of nanogold suspended in Milli Q water. This higher aggregation was consistent with the low values of zeta potential, revealing the instability of the suspensions. Regarding toxicity data, except for nano TiO2, the tested NP significantly inhibited bioluminescence of V. fischeri. Genotoxic effects were only induced by SDS/DDAB and TiO2 for the strain TA98. A wide range of toxicity responses was observed for the six tested NP, differing by more than 5 orders of magnitude, and suggesting different modes of action of the tested NP.

Screening evaluation of the ecotoxicity and genotoxicity of soils contaminated with organic and inorganic nanoparticles: the role of ageing.

This study aimed to evaluate the toxicity and genotoxicity of soils, and corresponding elutriates, contaminated with aqueous suspensions of two organic (vesicles of sodium dodecyl sulphate/didodecyl dimethylammonium bromide and of monoolein and sodium oleate) and five inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) (TiO(2), TiSiO(4), CdSe/ZnS quantum dots, Fe/Co magnetic fluid and gold nanorods) to Vibrio fischeri and Salmonella typhimurium (TA98 and TA100 strains). Soil samples were tested 2h and 30 days after contamination. Suspensions of NPs were characterized by Dynamic Light Scattering. Soils were highly toxic to V. fischeri, especially after 2h. After 30 days toxicity was maintained only for soils spiked with suspensions of more stable NPs (zeta potential>30 mV or <-30 mV). Elutriates were particularly toxic after 2h, except for soil spiked with Fe/Co magnetic fluid, suggesting that ageing may have contributed for degrading the organic shell of these NPs, increasing the mobility of core elements and the toxicity of elutriates. TA98 was the most sensitive strain to the mutagenic potential of soil elutriates. Only elutriates from soils spiked with gold nanorods, quantum dots (QDs) and TiSiO(4) induced mutations in both strains of S. typhimurium, suggesting more diversified mechanisms of genotoxicity.

Impact of a secondary treated bleached Kraft pulp mill effluent in both sexes of goldfish (Carassius auratus L.).

The aim of the present study was to assess the toxic effects of a secondary treated effluent from a modern pulp mill processing Eucalyptus globulus on both sexes of goldfish. The effects in the exposed fish were investigated by measuring biomarkers which have been used to assess the effects of BKME on aquatic biota, with particular emphasis in fish. However, few studies have been focused on effluents from pulp mill plants processing eucalyptus. The relative proportion of cytochrome P450 (CYP1A) and vitellogenin (VTG) induction were analyzed in the livers of males and females goldfish, exposed to different concentrations of a bleached Kraft pulp mill (BKPM) effluent. Somatic indices such as HSI (hepatosomatic index) and GSI (gonadosomatic index) were calculated and a significant reduction was found in males GSI. A significant increase of HSI was recorded for both sexes exposed to 50% BKPM effluent. Exposure to BKPM effluent induced CYP1A synthesis in both sexes and decreased VTG synthesis in females according to the different effluent concentrations suggesting that the secondary treated effluent contained compounds that affect fish negatively. The results suggest that BKPM effluent can cause sex-related biochemical changes in xenobiotic metabolism.

Effects of ECF-Kraft pulp mill effluent treated with fungi (Rhizopus oryzae) on reproductive steroids and liver CYP1A of exposed goldfish (Carassius auratus).

The toxicity of bleached Kraft pulp mill effluents (BKME) is usually attributed to chemical compounds which are produced and released throughout various stages of pulp and paper production. The main objective of the present work was to detect sub-lethal responses of goldfish (Carassius auratus) to secondary treated BKME which was treated with Rhizopus oryzae. A total of 96 carps (C. auratus; 11 +/- 3 g) were exposed to different concentrations of the post-treated effluent (0, 1, 10, 25, 50, and 100%), in 28 days semi-static tests. Several biomarkers were then evaluated to assess the toxicological effects: induction of CYP1A (metabolic processes of organic compounds in liver), change in steroid profiles (11-Ketotestosterone, 17beta-estradiol), histopathology of liver and gonads and somatic indices (GSI, HSI) for endocrine disruption and other physiological disturbances. The most significant results show an induction of CYP1A in both sexes and a decrease of 17beta-estradiol concentrations in females. Histopathological changes such as liver tissue degeneration were observed in fish exposed to 50 and 100% of the BKME. Although the BKME was biologically treated there are some chemical compounds in the effluent that are capable to affect fish physiology, however, a clear evidence for endocrine disruption was not found.

The effectiveness of a biological treatment with Rhizopus oryzae and of a photo-Fenton oxidation in the mitigation of toxicity of a bleached kraft pulp mill effluent.

Huge efforts have been made both in adopting more environmental-friendly bleaching processes, and in developing advanced oxidation processes and more effective biological treatments for the reduction of deleterious impacts of paper mill effluents. Even so, the success of such treatments is frequently reported in terms of chemical parameters without a proper evaluation of the effluent's toxicity mitigation. This is the first study reporting an exhaustive evaluation of the toxicity of a secondary bleached kraft pulp mill effluent, after either tertiary treatment with the soft-rot fungi Rhizopus oryzae or with a photo-Fenton oxidation, using a battery of freshwater species. As it has been reported the photo-Fenton/UV treatment has proved to be the most effective in reducing the colour and the COD (chemical oxygen demand) of the effluent. Nevertheless, extremely low EC(50) values were reported for almost all species, after this tertiary treatment. The treatment with R. oryzae was less effective in terms of colour removal and COD reduction, but proved to be the most promising in reducing toxicity.

Biological treatment of the effluent from a bleached kraft pulp mill using basidiomycete and zygomycete fungi.

Three white-rot fungi (Pleurotus sajor caju, Trametes versicolor and Phanerochaete chrysosporium) and one soft-rot fungi (Rhizopus oryzae) species confirmed their potential for future applications in the biological treatment of effluents derived from the secondary treatment of a bleached kraft pulp mill processing Eucalyptus globulus. Among the four species P. sajor caju and R. oryzae were the most effective in the biodegradation of organic compounds present in the effluent, being responsible for the reduction of relative absorbance (25-46% at 250 nm and 72-74% at 465 nm) and of chemical oxygen demand levels (74 to 81%) after 10 days of incubation. Laccase (Lac), lignin (Lip) and manganese peroxidases (MnP) expression varied among fungal species, where Lac and LiP activities were correlated with the degradation of organic compounds in the effluent treated with P. sajor caju. The first two axes of a principal component analysis explained 88.9% of the total variation among sub-samples treated with the four fungus species, after different incubation periods. All the variables measured contributed positively to the first component except for the MnP enzyme activity which was the only variable contributing negatively to the first component. Absorbances at 465 nm, LiP and Lac enzyme activities were the variables with more weight on the second component. P. sajor caju revealed to be the only species able to perform the biological treatment without promoting an increment in the toxicity of the effluent to the Vibrio fischeri, as it was assessed by the Microtox assay. The opposite was recorded for the treatments with the other three species of fungus. EC(50-5 min) values ranging between 28 and 57% (effluent concentrations) were recorded even after 10 to 13 days of treatment with P. chrysosporium, R. oryzae or with T. versicolor.