Micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) pollution has become a pressing global environmental issue, with growing concerns regarding its impact on human health. However, evidence on the effects of MNPs on... Show moreMicro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) pollution has become a pressing global environmental issue, with growing concerns regarding its impact on human health. However, evidence on the effects of MNPs on human health remains limited. This paper reviews the three routes of human exposure to MNPs, which include ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. It further discusses the potential routes of translocation of MNPs in human lungs, intestines, and skin, analyses the potential impact of MNPs on the homeostasis of human organ systems, and provides an outlook on future research priorities for MNPs in human health. There is growing evidence that MNPs are present in human tissues or fluids. Lab studies, including in vivo animal models and in vitro human-derived cell cultures, revealed that MNPs exposure could negatively affect human health. MNPs exposure could cause oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, disruption of internal barriers like the intestinal, the air–blood and the placental barrier, tissue damage, as well as immune homeostasis imbalance, endocrine disruption, and reproductive and developmental toxicity. Limitedly available epidemiological studies suggest that disorders like lung nodules, asthma, and blood thrombus might be caused or exacerbated by MNPs exposure. However, direct evidence for the effects of MNPs on human health is still scarce, and future research in this area is needed to provide quantitative support for assessing the risk of MNPs to human health. Show less
Luo, Y.; Chavez-Rico, V.S.; Sechi, V.; Bezemer, T.M.; Buisman, C.J.N.; Heijne, A. ter 2023
Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses identify 124 risk loci for rheumatoid arthritis, of which 34 are novel. A polygenic risk score based on multi-ancestry data showed comparable... Show moreMulti-ancestry genome-wide association analyses identify 124 risk loci for rheumatoid arthritis, of which 34 are novel. A polygenic risk score based on multi-ancestry data showed comparable performance between populations of European and East Asian ancestries.Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a highly heritable complex disease with unknown etiology. Multi-ancestry genetic research of RA promises to improve power to detect genetic signals, fine-mapping resolution and performances of polygenic risk scores (PRS). Here, we present a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) of RA, which includes 276,020 samples from five ancestral groups. We conducted a multi-ancestry meta-analysis and identified 124 loci (P < 5 x 10(-8)), of which 34 are novel. Candidate genes at the novel loci suggest essential roles of the immune system (for example, TNIP2 and TNFRSF11A) and joint tissues (for example, WISP1) in RA etiology. Multi-ancestry fine-mapping identified putatively causal variants with biological insights (for example, LEF1). Moreover, PRS based on multi-ancestry GWAS outperformed PRS based on single-ancestry GWAS and had comparable performance between populations of European and East Asian ancestries. Our study provides several insights into the etiology of RA and improves the genetic predictability of RA. Show less
Composts are commonly used as soil amendments to sustain and improve the functionality of agricultural soil. Compost has abiotic (organic matter [OM], nutrients) and biotic characteristics ... Show moreComposts are commonly used as soil amendments to sustain and improve the functionality of agricultural soil. Compost has abiotic (organic matter [OM], nutrients) and biotic characteristics (microorganisms) and both can influence the soil microbiome. The abiotic and biotic characteristics of compost, in turn, depend on properties of the compost such as maturity. Few studies have investigated the relative effects of abiotic and biotic components of compost on the soil microbial community and crop growth. To bridge this gap, we used a full-factorial design with sterile and live composts that differed in maturity (fresh, intermediate, mature) that were added to sterile and live soil to investigate the separate role of abiotic and biotic characteristics of composts on the resulting soil microbial community and on wheat growth. We found that the changes in the soil microbial community were mainly due to the input of compost with the presence of microorganisms rather than due to the abiotic properties of compost. The majority of the compost-associated microorganisms (more than 70% for bacteria and 90% for fungi) were detected in the soil in the presence of native soil microorganisms. Elimination of native soil microorganisms by sterilization enhanced the prevalence and abundance of compost-associated microorganisms. Adding fresh compost increased wheat biomass production, but the positive effects of compost on plant growth were strongest when sterile composts were used. Hence, our study reports that compost-associated microorganisms are essential to modify soil microbial community but may not benefit crop growth. This highlights the importance of understanding the role of abiotic and biotic properties of composts as common soil amendments on improving the functioning of agricultural soil. Show less
Toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) are often related to the release of Zn2+ ions due to their dissolution. Studies also suggest that the toxicity of ZnO NPs cannot be solely explained by the... Show moreToxicity of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) are often related to the release of Zn2+ ions due to their dissolution. Studies also suggest that the toxicity of ZnO NPs cannot be solely explained by the release of Zn2+ ions; however, there is a lack of direct evidence of ZnO particulate effects. This study compared the acute toxicity of ZnO NPs and ZnSO4 following intranasal exposure using a combination of metallomics and metabolomics approaches. Significant accumulation of Zn in the liver was only found in the ZnO NP treatment, with 29% of the newly accumulated Zn in the form of ZnO as revealed by X-ray fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS). This is the first direct evidence suggesting the persistence of ZnO NPs in liver upon intranasal exposure. Although both ZnO NPs and ZnSO4 altered the metabolite profiles, with some overlaps and considerable specificity, of both liver and plasma samples, more and distinct metabolites in the liver and opposite effects in the plasma were altered by ZnO NPs compared with ZnSO4, consistent with no accumulation of Zn detected in liver from ZnSO4. Specifically, a large number of antioxidant-related compounds and energetic substrates were exclusively elevated in the liver of ZnO NP-treated animals. These findings provided direct evidence that persistence of ZnO NPs induced particle-specific effects on the antioxidant systems and energy metabolism pathways. Show less
Microplastics (MPs, plastics 100 nm–5 mm in diameter) are estimated to accumulate in agricultural soils in quantities that exceed the total MP burden in ocean waters. Despite a wealth of... Show moreMicroplastics (MPs, plastics 100 nm–5 mm in diameter) are estimated to accumulate in agricultural soils in quantities that exceed the total MP burden in ocean waters. Despite a wealth of information relating to the accumulation of MPs in aquatic species, there is little information on the uptake of MPs by terrestrial plants. Information about location of MPs in plant tissues is critical to understand the modes of their interaction with plants. Polystyrene (PS) is one of the most commonly used plastic polymers worldwide and it is often found in MPs sampled in the environment. The performance of traditional detection methods (i.e., transmission electron microscopy, TEM and scanning electron microscopy, SEM) for nanoparticles is limited due to the extensive sample preparation and the limited field of view. Here we report an approach for the imaging of different sizes of PS plastic beads (ranging from submicrometer to micrometer-sized) within plant tissues by using confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). Fluorescent dye Nile blue or 4-chloro-7-nitro-1,2,3-benzoxadiazole were encapsulated into the PS microbeads through swelling method and they were used to detect the localization of PS beads in the root and the green tissue respectively.• This is a simple andrapid approach for imaging of MPs in plant.• The fluorescent dyes can produce bright and stable emission signals that are distinguishable from the autofluorescence background of plant tissues.• The dyes leakage in the aqueous phase can be assumed to be negligible. Show less
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk has a large genetic component (similar to 60%) that is still not fully understood. This has hampered the design of effective treatments that could promise lifelong... Show moreRheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk has a large genetic component (similar to 60%) that is still not fully understood. This has hampered the design of effective treatments that could promise lifelong remission. RA is a polygenic disease with 106 known genome-wide significant associated loci and thousands of small effect causal variants. Our current understanding of RA risk has suggested cell-type-specific contexts for causal variants, implicating CD4 + effector memory T cells, as well as monocytes, B cells and stromal fibroblasts. While these cellular states and categories are still mechanistically broad, future studies may identify causal cell subpopulations. These efforts are propelled by advances in single cell profiling. Identification of causal cell subpopulations may accelerate therapeutic intervention to achieve lifelong remission. Show less
Westra, H.J.; Martinez-Bonet, M.; Onengut, S.; Lee, A.; Luo, Y.; Teslovich, N.; ... ; Raychaudhuri, S. 2017
