Journal articles on the topic 'Poisoning, Biological Marker'

The use of organophosphates (pesticides and other compounds to eradicate pests), currently, to increase the fulfillment of the population's consumption needs has a double-edged sword effect, on the one hand it can increase the need for food to be consumed by the population. The negative effect that can arise is the safety of organophosphate drugs which can contaminate the soil and water sources around the place where organophosphate drugs are used. The negative effects of organophosphates are associated with the effects of xenobiotics on humans who consume them. Xenobiotics are associated with toxicdynamic effects where organophosphates cause irreversible inhibition of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (ACh). ACh is one of the main enzymes in the nervous system that terminates impulse conduction through the hydrolysis process of acetylcholine enzymes. Acetylcholinesterase is a specific molecular target of organophosphate pesticides. The inhibition of the Ach enzyme causes the inhibition of the acetylcholine enzyme which is normally always hydrolyzed by the Ach enzyme and is a specific biological marker of pesticide poisoning. Inhibition of ACh will cause the accumulation of the enzyme acetylcholine, resulting in negative effects of organophosphate poisoning which can lead to death. In this paper, the authors collect from various sources related to the study of molecular toxicology toxidynamic effects of drug safety and organophosphate poisoning. The results of this review article show that organophosphate poisoning is associated with irreversible inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme which results in death in the individual concerned.

Background: The article aimed to assess the activity of the hexosaminidase (HEX) and its HEX A and HEX B isoenzymes in persons who suddenly died due to ethanol poisoning and explain the cause of their death. Methods: The research involved two groups of the deceased group A—22 people (20 males, 2 females; the average age 46 years) who died due to alcohol intoxication (with the blood alcohol content of 4‰ and above in all biological materials at the time of death—blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, and vitreous humor), and group B—30 people (22 males, 8 females; the average age 54 years), who died suddenly due to other reasons than alcohol. Results: The highest activity of the HEX was found in the serum of A and B groups. A significantly lower activity of HEX, HEX A, and HEX B was observed in the urine of group A in comparison to the sober decedents. Conclusion: The lower activity of HEX and its isoenzymes in the dead’s urine due to ethanol poisoning may suggest its usefulness as a potential marker of harmful alcohol drinking. Damage done to the kidneys by ethanol poisoning may be one of the possible mechanisms leading to death. Kidneys may be damaged intravitally via the inflammatory agent. Thus, it is necessary to conduct further research to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of exoglycosidases while determining the death mechanisms of people who lost their lives due to ethanol poisoning.

Taxonomic markers such as the 16S ribosomal RNA gene are widely used in microbial community analysis. A common first step in marker-gene analysis is grouping genes into clusters to reduce data sets to a more manageable size and potentially mitigate the effects of sequencing error. Instead of clustering based on sequence identity, marker-gene data sets collected over time can be clustered based on temporal correlation to reveal ecologically meaningful associations. We present Ananke, a free and open-source algorithm and software package that complements existing sequence-identity-based clustering approaches by clustering marker-gene data based on time-series profiles and provides interactive visualization of clusters, including highlighting of internal OTU inconsistencies. Ananke is able to cluster distinct temporal patterns from simulations of multiple ecological patterns, such as periodic seasonal dynamics and organism appearances/disappearances. We apply our algorithm to two longitudinal marker gene data sets: faecal communities from the human gut of an individual sampled over one year, and communities from a freshwater lake sampled over eleven years. Within the gut, the segregation of the bacterial community around a food-poisoning event was immediately clear. In the freshwater lake, we found that high sequence identity between marker genes does not guarantee similar temporal dynamics, and Ananke time-series clusters revealed patterns obscured by clustering based on sequence identity or taxonomy. Ananke is free and open-source software available at https://github.com/beiko-lab/ananke.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is continuously produced in mammalian cells during the degradation of heme. It is a stable gaseous molecule that reacts selectively with transition metals in a specific redox state, and these characteristics restrict the interaction of CO with defined biological targets that transduce its signaling activity. Because of the high affinity of CO for ferrous heme, these targets can be grouped into heme-containing proteins, representing a large variety of sensors and enzymes with a series of diverse function in the cell and the organism. Despite this notion, progress in identifying which of these targets are selective for CO has been slow and even the significance of elevated carbonmonoxy hemoglobin, a classical marker used to diagnose CO poisoning, is not well understood. This is also due to the lack of technologies capable of assessing in a comprehensive fashion the distribution and local levels of CO between the blood circulation, the tissue, and the mitochondria, one of the cellular compartments where CO exerts its signaling or detrimental effects. Nevertheless, the use of CO gas and CO-releasing molecules as pharmacological approaches in models of disease has provided new important information about the signaling properties of CO. In this review we will analyze the most salient effects of CO in biology and discuss how the binding of CO with key ferrous hemoproteins serves as a posttranslational modification that regulates important processes as diverse as aerobic metabolism, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial bioenergetics.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is a key enzyme in the nervous system. It terminates nerve impulses by catalysing the hydrolysis of neurotransmitter acetylcholine. As a specific molecular target of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides, acetylcholinesterase activity and its inhibition has been early recognized to be a human biological marker of pesticide poisoning. Measurement of AChE inhibition has been increasingly used in the last two decades as a biomarker of effect on nervous system following exposure to organophosphate and carbamate pesticides in occupational and environmental medicine. The success of this biomarker arises from the fact that it meets a number of characteristics necessary for the successful application of a biological response as biomarker in human biomonitoring: the response is easy to measure, it shows a dose-dependent behavior to pollutant exposure, it is sensitive, and it exhibits a link to health adverse effects. The aim of this work is to review and discuss the recent findings about acetylcholinesterase, including its sensitivity to other pollutants and the expression of different splice variants. These insights open new perspective for the future use of this biomarker in environmental and occupational human health monitoring.

Fluorosis in man and animals is the resultant of chronic exposure of Fluoride (F) for prolonged period through F contaminated drinking water and foods and industrial F pollution. However, fluoridated water and industrial F emissions are the major sources of F exposure for humans and domestic animals. Chronic F exposure not only deteriorate the health of human beings and animals but also causes diverse adverse toxic effects on hard (teeth and bones) and soft (organs) tissues. Various F induced pathological changes in teeth and bones are known as dental and skeletal fluorosis, respectively. However, skeletal fluorosis is more dangerous and highly significant since it diminishes the mobility at a very early age and develops crippling or lameness bone deformity. Thousands of people and domestic animals are suffering with fluorosis worldwide. Dental fluorosis is rampant and the commonest form of chronic F toxicosis and appears in subjects of almost all age groups. However, children and bovine calves are relatively more sensitive and highly susceptible to F toxicosis and revealed the earliest clinical sign of chronic F poisoning in the form of dental fluorosis. Hence, these are ideal bio-indicators for chronic F intoxication or fluorosis. Nevertheless, the magnitude or severity of fluorosis is much more depending on the density and rate of bio-accumulation of F. Biological samples, milk, urine, blood serum, teeth, nails, etc. are better bio-markers for F intoxication. However, urine F concentration is the best bio-marker for endemic of F and fluorosis. In this communication, ideal bio-indicators and bio-markers for endemic of F and fluorosis and diverse potential determinants influencing the severity of F toxicity (fluorosis) are considered and briefly and critically reviewed. Findings of this review are useful in making and implementation of health policy and the commencement of mitigation and control of fluorosis programme in F endemic areas where it is problematic for human and animal health.

Toxicological characteristic of designer drugs from the group of synthetic opioids is presented. The historical aspects of illicit drug trafficking are considered. In the illicit drug market of EU countries 38 synthetic opioids, 22 of them belonging to fentanyl derivatives, have been revealed for the period 2005-2017. The widespread use of synthetic opioids among drug addicts has been accompanied by an increase in the number of fatal overdoses. In the United States the number of fatal poisonings by synthetic opioids of fentanyl series increased by 40.3 times between 1999 and 2017. The similar situation is emerging in other countries. This is due to the fact that the biological activity and toxicity of synthetic opioids far exceed those of morphine and heroin. The differences between the metabolism of heroin and synthetic opioids are considered. Data on the toxicity of synthetic opioids are presented. The neurotransmitter mechanisms of their respiratory depression, including disorders of opioid, GABAergic, glutamatergic and serotoninergic neurotransmitter systems are discussed. A brief description of the antidote activity of opioid receptor antagonists in acute poisoning by synthetic opioids is given.

The article presents the results of an experimental study on rat poisoning with 1,2-dichloroethane (250 µl / kg, intragastric administration). The aim of this work was to find the relationship between biological markers and morphological changes in acute damage to rat kidneys with dichloroethane. The study of urine samples of experimental animals by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) revealed 1,2-dichloroethane in the concentration range of 0,05 – 0,90 µg / ml (95% C.I. = 0,09 – 0,90 µg / ml). Daily excretion with urine was 0,60 – 4,50 µg / 16h (95% C.I. = 1,14 – 3,93 µg / ml). Levels of nephron-specific biomarkers in urine were 194,62 ± 9,02 IU / L (NAGase, p = 0,0022) and 2,93 ± 0,38 ng / ml (KIM-1, p = 0,0022), which exceeded those in the control group by 5 and 23 times, respectively. Edema, disorders of intrarenal hemodynamics, leukocyte migration in interstitium, uneven damage to various areas of the kidneys due to adipose dystrophy and necrobiotic changes in the nephrothelium of the proximal tubules mainly in the cortical layer of the kidneys have developed in the kidneys. Positive correlations between the level of 1,2-dichloroethane in the urine and the level of KIM-1 (Spearman r = 0,7427, 95% C.I. 0,2764 – 0,9260, p = 0,0083), -N-acetylglucosaminidase (Spearman r = 0,8248, 95% C.I. 0,4613 – 0,9512, p = 0,0019), the scores on the EGTI scale (Spearman r = 0,8064, 95% C.I. 0,7126 – 0,8719, p < 0.0001); the level of KIM-1 and the scores on the EGTI scale (Spearman r = 0,7427, 95% C.I. 0,2764 – 0,9260, p = 0.0083), -N-acetylglucosaminidase and the scores on the EGTI scale (Spearman R = 0,4684, 95% C.I. 0,2764 – 0,6244, p < 0,0001), the level of the low and medium molecular weight substances in the blood and the scores on the EGTI scale (Spearman R = 0,6909, 95% C.I. 0,5549 – 0,7909, p < 0,0001) were found.

Aims and objectives: To uncover the disguising markers of food poising and their Control Measures to spread public awareness for betterment of human health through forensic applications. Materials and Methods: Study design: Present study was conducted from December 2021to June 2022 in Lahore. Sample size and collections: Various food samples were collected from 10 different restaurants. 5 different food products were collected from each restaurant for analysis of biological markers while non-biological markers were observed on the location at a data collection Performa. Chemical analysis: In case of food poising the forensic chemical analysis are based on biochemical and physiological tests such as bacterial Count in collected food samples through plate count method and spectrophotometric (turbid metric) analysis. Determined Parameters: In this study both biological parameters, such as bacterial Count and non-biological parameters like, hygiene, quality of water, utensils quality, cooking style and cooking environment were considered. Results presentations: Raw data of each parameter was represented bio-statistically with the applications of SPSS in which regressions of standard mean deviation and significant (P<0.05) were considered comparatively. Results: It has seen that mostly all food samples taken from different restaurants have bacterial flora. These bacterial count may be so harmful for human life. It was concluded by considering non-biological parameters that the hygienic conditions, cooking place and way of cooking were not according to the standard health levels recommended by food authority. Especially quality of raw material and utensils were not standardized. All the results were significant as compared with the given standard levels of each parameter. A remarkable changes were noted in different parameters regarding food quality for further elaboration results are represented graphically in fig-1. Conclusion: Infectious organisms including bacteria, viruses and parasites or their toxins are the most common causes of food poisoning. Infectious organisms or their toxins can contaminate food at any point of processing or production. Contamination can also occur at home if food is incorrectly handled or cooked. Keywords: Bacteria, Viruses, Parasites, Contamination, Food Poisoning.

The article represents data on chemical properties and main aspects of the biological action of the diazinon - organophosphate pesticide that is widely used as a drug with marked acaricidal and insecticidal properties. Analyzed published data on metabolism, diazinon accumulation in various organs and systems, and ways of removing from the body. The article shows the median lethal dose (LD50) diazinon for various kinds of animals. The special features of the pathogenesis of poisoning, the main mechanism of action of toxic organophosphorus pesticides is the phosphorylation and inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, resulting in a marked accumulation of acetylcholine in the cholinergic synapses, excessive stimulation of nerves and muscles, disruption passage of nerve impulses. The article detailed the clinical signs of acute poisoning by organophosphate compounds. These data indicate that the effects on the body organophosphorus pesticides includes muscarinic effects (sialorrhea and excessive secretion of sweat glands, bronchorrhea, increased motility of the gastrointestinal tract, accompanied by spastic contractions of the intestinal wall, vomiting and gastroenteritis), nicotine action (miofibrillation, rigidity pectoral muscles, paralysis of respiratory muscles with the development of sudden hypoxemia) and central effects (arising from the impact of the central nervous system and are accompanied by violation of its function). The analysis pathmorphology of poisoning of the organophosphate pesticide. These data indicate that structural changes diazinon poisoning is less specific than clinical signs and characterized by: the development of the circulatory disorders (acute congestive hyperemia recorded and hemorrhage), the appearance of dystrophic and necrotic changes parenchymal elements of the brain and spinal cord, liver, kidneys and so on. Also recorded alterations changes ganglion cells and spinal cord autonomic ganglion, proliferation of glial cells, and for subacute and chronic poisoning – disintegration of the myelin and nerve fibers axial cylinder. Described diazinon influence on organs of the immune system and ability to induce endocrine disorders. There are published data on the potential mutagenic, carcinogenic and teratogenic effects of the diazinon. The range of problems researd structural changes by the origin and development of clinical evidence for the effect of different doses diazinon and certain aspects of forensic veterinary diagnostic poisoning mammals and birds of organophosphate pesticides.

A case of acute methanol intoxication is presented, in which bilateral putaminal hemorrhage developed after hemodialysis. Even though the patient was initially comatose and profoundly acidotic, favorable outcome was achieved, with long-term neurologic impairments essentially restricted to mild crural paraparesis, retrograde amnesia, and marked visual deficit. A comparative literature review is evaluated.

Rice is a staple food of Pakistan. It is being contaminated with several food poisoning causing bacterial and mold contaminants. In this study 100 different rice samples were collected from local market of Karachi city. The presence of Bacillus cereus vegetative cell and survival of their spores were quantitavely analyzed after cooking and refrigeration. From the study it was observed that out of 100 rice samples, 25% cooked/refrigerated samples were positive for the presence of B.cereus spores , even there were few samples which showed increase of count due to improper (cooking and refrigeration ) which causes the germination and proliferation of spores into vegetative cells under favorable conditions. The detection of increased count of B. cereus even after cooking and refrigeration treatments is very alarming since cooking is supposed to be best treatment given to the raw food. Different rice dishes are being frequently consumed by the general population and are also available on different shops (as biryanis or fried rice), hence, detection of B. cereus in cooked rice samples will be useful to control any outbreak of food poisoning cases especially in summer seasons.

Postmortem metabolomics has recently been suggested as a potential tool for discovering new biological markers able to assist in death investigations. Interpretation of oxycodone concentrations in postmortem cases is complicated, as oxycodone tolerance leads to overlapping concentrations for oxycodone intoxications versus non-intoxications. The primary aim of this study was to use postmortem metabolomics to identify potential endogenous biomarkers that discriminate between oxycodone-related intoxications and non-intoxications. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry data from 934 postmortem femoral blood samples, including oxycodone intoxications and controls positive and negative for oxycodone, were used in this study. Data were processed and evaluated with XCMS and SIMCA. A clear trend in group separation was observed between intoxications and controls, with a model sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 76%. Approximately halved levels of short-, medium-, and long-chain acylcarnitines were observed for oxycodone intoxications in comparison with controls (p < 0.001). These biochemical changes seem to relate to the toxicological effects of oxycodone and potentially acylcarnitines constituting a biologically relevant biomarker for opioid poisonings. More studies are needed in order to elucidate the potential of acylcarnitines as biomarker for oxycodone toxicity and their relation to CNS-depressant effects.

Four polymorphic GABRA2 gene variations: rs105733011, rs8168342, rs198286814, rs198837638 that can influence the formation of different biological effects of the organism when exposed to ethanol have been investigated. For rs105733011 polymorphism the frequency of occurrence of the CT genotype was found to be significantly higher (p < 0,05) among animals with «severe intoxication» – 37,0% than with «mild intoxication» – 14,0%. For rs198286814 polymorphism the tendency to the most frequent occurrence of the AG genotype in the group of animals with «severe intoxication» was established. Significant differences in the distribution of occurrence frequencies of the GG/AG genotypes in the studied groups for polymorphic loci rs8168342 and rs198837638 were not revealed. It was concluded that the rs105733011 polymorphism can be one of the genetic markers allowing to predict the degree of inhibitory action of ethanol in acute alcohol intoxication.

Background/Aim: Liver disease constitutes a public health problem at the global level. This study was conducted to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of the total oil’s unsaponifiable fraction (UF) of a medicinal plant called Nigella sativa. Methods: The extraction of unsaponifiables from the total seed oil of the medicinal plant Nigella sativa was carried out according to the standardized methods of the European Pharmacopoeia (Edition 5.0). Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is hepatotoxic with mandatory and predictable action of the indirect type. Acute poisoning of Male albino rats with 1:1 (v/v) mixture of CCl4 and olive oil (3 ml/Kg b.w. of rat by subcutaneous injection) induces considerable liver pain. Results: Nigella sativa UF is found to be rich in tocopherols; its administration as a curative or preventive treatment to poisoned animals results in a very significant reduction in transaminases (ALT, AST) and ALP. Histological study shows that livers are in better condition than those of intoxicated rats. The statute of enzymes and antioxidant molecules (SOD, CATA, GSH, MDA) has significantly improved. Conclusion: Measurable biological evidence has been given to the use of such extract as effective substances against hepatic diseases.

AbstractObjectives: To critically review the scientific literature relating to the timing of deliberate self harm behaviour and completed suicide.Method: A literature search of the Medline and CINAHL databases from 1970-2002 was performed, using deliberate self harm, overdose, self poisoning, suicide, parasuicide, and time, timing, day, week, month and season as key words. Relevant secondary references were retrieved and hand searching of important journals was done.Results: The time of day of non-fatal self harm shows a marked diurnal variation, with an evening peak that is related to non-violent episodes, concomitant alcohol use, and a younger age. It is not conclusively linked to the degree of suicidal intent or particular psychiatric diagnoses. Completed suicides more commonly occur earlier in the day, at the beginning of the week and during springtime, but show no overall increase during many national events and holidays.Conclusions: Circadian biological mechanisms involving the serotonin-melatonin axis, Cortisol secretion and sleep abnormalities appear to be implicated. Psychosocial explanations for these epidemiological findings include alcohol use, a sense of personal isolation and the ‘broken promise’ effect.

The hypothalamo-pituitary-testicular axis was evaluated in a group of 23 men who worked in the lead smelting industry and had a history of occupational inorganic lead exposure. The endocrine status of the workers was related to lead poisoning biological markers. According to the duration of their lead exposure they were divided into three groups: group 1 < 1 year, n = 5; group 2 between 3 and 5 years, n = 8; group 3 > 5 years, n = 10. Serum testosterone (T), steroid binding globulin (SBG), free testosterone index (T/SBG), serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), Blood lead levels, and blood zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) were measured in all workers. Groups 2 and 3 showed a decrease in serum testosterone levels, an increase in SBG levels, and a decrease in T/SBG index, suggesting a correlation between testicular dysfunction and duration of exposure. There was an increase in serum LH in group 1, which was not progressive. This suggests that prolonged lead exposure initially produces a direct testicular toxicity followed by hypothalamic or pituitary disturbance when longer periods of exposure take place.

Objectives. Over the last decade, hematopoietic stimulants have grown increasingly popular in elite sports. This is supported by the growing number of high-profile doping scandals linked to their use. A group of these stimulants includes cobalt salts, which cause an increase in the oxygen capacity of the blood as well as a powerful stimulation of metabolic processes, resulting innoticeable competitive advantages. The use of cobalt salts is regulated according to the Prohibited List of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Currently, only a few works have been dedicated to solving the problem of detecting the abuse of cobalt salts in anti-doping control. Only a few laboratories have included cobalt salt determination in their methodological bases. The purpose of this review is to attract the attention of the scientific community to the toxicity of cobalt compounds, consequences of their intake, and pharmacokinetics, as well as the problems in their detection methods due to their widespread availability in the modern market and the growing number of abuse cases.Results. The main biological functions of cobalt, cellular levels of exposure, toxicity, and symptoms of cobalt salt poisoning are presented in detail in this review article. The data from the literature on the main methods for detecting cobalt as a doping agent have been generalized and systematized. There is a major focus on the amount of cobalt in dietary supplements that could cause an athlete to test positive for cobalt when they are consumed.Conclusions. After analyzing promising cobalt detection approaches and methods, it was determined that high-performance liquid chromatography in combination with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry has an undeniable advantage for detecting cobalt as a doping agent. The lack of explicit WADA requirements for detection methods and the lack of its obligation to determine cobalt make it tempting for unscrupulous athletes to use its salts. Therefore, antidoping laboratories must implement the abovementioned method as soon as possible.

Lead belongs to the group of blood poisons that impair the synthesis of porphyrins and heme. Under industrial conditions, only chronic lead poisoning can develop. Lead belongs to the poisons that have the effect of material cumulation. The half-life of lead is 20 years. Once in the body, it is deposited in many organs in the form of the insoluble tribasic lead phosphates. A significant part of the lead is deposited in the trabeculae of the bones. Under the influence of provoking factors, an intensive lead release from the depot can be observed. In such cases, the amount of lead in the circulating blood increases sharply, and remission is replaced by an exacerbation. There is a wavy course of chronic lead intoxication. Lead and its inorganic compounds belong to the group of poisons that have a polytropic effect on the body, affecting many organs and systems. The blood system (anemia with specific characteristics) and the nervous system (polyneuropathy and encephalopathy) are primarily affected. A number of other organs and systems are also affected. The most severe specific syndrome of gastrointestinal tract damage is lead colic. Due to the impaired synthesis of porphyrins and heme in certain biological substrates of the body — in the blood, erythrocytes and urine, substances unused in the synthesis of heme are accumulated. They are markers of chronic intoxication caused by lead, in the presence of a relevant clinical picture. The diagnosis is based on data from a professional history, sanitary and hygienic characteristics of working conditions, clinical and objective characteristics of the disease and data from laboratory examination. The main thing is to stop contact with lead and remove it from the body. Antidotes for lead poisoning are chelators: tetacinum-calcium, pentacinum, D-penicillamine. In combination with technical and sanitary-hygienic measures to prevent chronic intoxication caused by lead, preliminary and periodic medical examinations of persons in contact with lead are of great importance.

AbstractThere is a lot of scandals and even food poisoning caused by consuming poor-quality meat in Russian Federation (RF). This is especially true for ready-toeat meat products (e.g., sausages, smoked meats, dumplings, meat pies), as the buyers do not see what they are made of. The fact is that in the USSR they had a well-developed system of state verification and standardization of all food products. The state standards (GOSTs) issued for each food product had the power of law. Violations of GOST requirements were regarded as crimes. However, the RF Law “On Standardization” has factually lost its power in connection with the adoption (2002) of the Federal Law “On Technical Regulating”. Therefore, new GOSTs have not previous power and are removed from the jurisdiction of the RF government. The fuzzy “technical specifications” (TUs) in contrast with previous severe GOSTs for food do not provide products quality control but are only indicators of biological, chemical and radiation safety. Using GOST labelling on food items seems as a marketing gimmick today. Nevertheless, recently there have been reports of the development of digital quality control and related legislation. Research findings presented herein show significant growth of Halal meat market. Increased customer confidence in Halal products is also found among non-Muslim buyers. The Council of Muftis of RF, together with the presidential administration of RF, has initiated the development of the state document “Requirements for producing, manufacturing, processing, storage and sale of Halal products”. Halal labelling was developed and approved and Halal stores opened. Our brief customer survey has showed the results of customer confidence in the Halal meat and meat product market could be found across the entire range of Halal food items. Taking into account global trends, the Halal food market in Russia as well as Halal industry as a whole have great prospects (exporting Halal items included) and this phenomenon demands a future extended research.

Diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP) is caused by the consumption of shellfish contaminated with a group of phycotoxins that includes okadaic acid (OA), dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX-1), and dinophysistoxin-2 (DTX-2). These toxins are inhibitors of serine/threonine protein phosphatases 1 (PP1) and 2A (PP2A), but show distinct levels of toxicity. Aside from a difference in protein phosphatases (PP) inhibition potency that would explain these differences in toxicity, others mechanisms of action are thought to be involved. Therefore, we investigated and compared which mechanisms are involved in the toxicity of these three analogues. As the intestine is one of the target organs, we studied the transcriptomic profiles of human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells exposed to OA, DTX-1, and DTX-2. The pathways specifically affected by each toxin treatment were further confirmed through the expression of key genes and markers of toxicity. Our results did not identify any distinct biological mechanism for OA and DTX-2. However, only DTX-1 induced up-regulation of the MAPK transduction signalling pathway, and down-regulation of gene products involved in the regulation of DNA repair. As a consequence, based on transcriptomic results, we demonstrated that the higher toxicity of DTX-1 compared to OA and DTX-2 was consistent with certain specific pathways involved in intestinal cell response.

That aluminum is fatally toxic is beyond doubt, demonstrated by mass human poisoning at Camelford in Cornwall in Britain in 1988 (chapter 18) and by occasional fish kills (p. 49). Aluminum may also be a contributing factor in a number of human diseases, in particular those involving brain and nerves (p. 124) — autism, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (chapter 14), Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis. Aluminum salts used in kidney dialysis may be responsible for dialysis-related encephalopathy (pp. 38, 79). Aluminum adjuvants in vaccine can cause macrophagic myofasciitis (MMF: inflammation and associated microscopic muscle necrosis at the injection site) as well as such whole-body ailments as chronic fatigue syndrome and marked cognitive deficits (Rigolet et al. 2014); one middle-aged individual injected with five aluminum-adjuvanted vaccines within 4 weeks became work-disabled (pp. 72-73). Studying the possible dangers associated with aluminum adjuvants in vaccines is complicated by the fact that aluminum acts as an antigen as well as an adjuvant — the immune system generates antibodies against aluminum itself, so that later exposures to aluminum might produce an antibody cascade capable of damaging any of the tissues in which aluminum had accumulated (pp. 73-76). Christopher Exley has studied aluminum in relation to human health for some 35 years. This book summarizes his work and cites the pertinent primary publications (some 200) in appropriate peer-reviewed journals. The book also offers quite convincing evidence of the determined efforts by a variety of vested interests to disparage and suppress Exley’s work and findings. In my opinion, the published work summarized in this book makes a plausible case based on empirical evidence that aluminum may be a contributing causative factor in neurological and nerve diseases. Further, Exley suggests fully detailed mechanisms and quite plausible for how that comes about. Beyond that, he points to a quite fundamental a priori reason why aluminum, among all the other elements and metals, might be so uniquely dangerous. It is the third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust (after oxygen and silicon), yet there are no known biological uses of aluminum. By contrast, several other metals and non-metals are essential components of some biological systems, for example, iron in hemoglobin in blood (pp. 5-6, 11). Those two facts make it far from implausible that absorption of aluminum could be biologically harmful, by competing with or replacing other metals, or perhaps just because of its chemically oxidative properties. But if all that is so, how has the Earth’s biosphere flourished for billions of years without succumbing to the toxicity of the super-abundant aluminum?

‘Lakatan’ banana is amongst the most important banana varieties in the Philippines. This variety of bananas is widely known and cultivated due to its good sensory qualities and potential for the export market. Locally, ‘Lakatan’ banana is ripened by retailers through the use of calcium carbide and/or ethephon. However, these ethylene-producing chemicals were reported to cause poisoning and alter the fruit's taste. This study is designed to investigate the effects of natural ripening agents such as plant leaves on the ripening qualities and sensory attributes of ‘Lakatan’ banana under room conditions. The result results revealed that C. muconoides and F. septica significantly induced faster ripening of banana as compared to other treatments. Additionally, the disease severity of ‘Lakatan’ banana was lower in both leaves as compared to other treatments. On the other hand, bananas treated with C. muconoides, F. septica, and A. carambola leaves were found to have a longer marketable days. In terms of sensory quality, fruits treated with C. mucunoides, G. sepium, and A. carambola leaves were found to have high sensory acceptability. The results have concluded that leaves of C. muconoides, F. septica, G. sepium and A. carambola have great potential in ripening climacteric fruits like bananas, and these leaves are good substitutes for chemical ripening agents. The research highlights the need for further studies on the biological sources of ethylene to understand its advantages, including its limitations.

In recent years, the world has experienced large-scale pollution and poisoning of environmental objects and the disappearance of certain parts of natural resources. The current research uses statistical data and methods in order to analyze the situation in the sphere of ecological and biological development on the basis of the main indicators. Among these indicators was chosen the current (operating) costs of environmental protection. The natural resource base of the Russian economy, the problems of which require immediate solutions, must be protected by the state. The country’s environmental policy is aimed at creating appropriate conditions for reducing the anthropogenic impact on the environment to an acceptable level and restructuring this impact. Maintaining the life-supporting systems of the biosphere, protecting and reproducing reserves are the primary actions that the natural resource base of the Russian economy requires. The problems facing today can be solved as follows: improving the regulatory system, developing the institution of state property, taking into account the division of competence between the state and the subjects, reforming and improving the system of economic assessment and accounting of natural resources, environmental restrictions, licensing the use of reserves, gradual changes in tax legislation, aimed at increasing the share of environmental payments while reducing rates for other fees, improving economic and financial mechanisms for the reproduction of reserves, developing the market for services and work in the field of environmental management.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) can serve as biochemical markers of various pathologies like liver disfunction and poisonings by nerve agents. Ellman’s assay is the standard spectrophotometric method to measure cholinesterase activity in clinical laboratories. The authors present a new colorimetric test to assess AChE and BChE activity in biological samples using chromogenic reagents, treated 3D-printed measuring pads and a smartphone camera as a signal detector. Multiwell pads treated with reagent substrates 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenyl acetate, indoxylacetate, ethoxyresorufin and methoxyresorufin were prepared and tested for AChE and BChE. In the experiments, 3D-printed pads containing indoxylacetate as a chromogenic substrate were optimal for analytical purposes. The best results were achieved using the red (R) channel, where the limit of detection was 4.05 µkat/mL for BChE and 4.38 µkat/mL for AChE using a 40 µL sample and a 60 min assay. The major advantage of this method is its overall simplicity, as samples are applied directly without any specific treatment or added reagents. The assay was also validated to the standard Ellman’s assay using human plasma samples. In conclusion, this smartphone camera-based colorimetric assay appears to have practical applicability and to be a suitable method for point-of-care testing because it does not require specific manipulation, additional education of staff or use of sophisticated analytical instruments.

Aim: Bendiocarb is used against a wide range of insects but has already been withdrawn from the market in some countries. It poses a high risk to birds as they can accidentally ingest it while searching for food, followed by toxic effects. This paper presents the results of toxicological and histopathological studies of 48 cases of intentional birds of prey poisoning with bendiocarb in Eastern Europe, specifically Poland. Materials and methods: A novel ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method for bendiocarb determination in animal liver samples was developed and fully validated. The sample preparation technique was based on one-step precipitation of proteins with cold acetonitrile. The internal standard used was carbaryl-d7. Full time of analysis was less than 10 minutes. The application of the UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS method allowed us to achieve the lowest LOQ (1 ng/g) of bendiocarb in biological samples to date. Results: Necropsies and histopathological examinations of common ravens (Corvus corax), western marsh harriers (Circus aeruginosus), red kites (Milvus milvus), and a white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) revealed multi-organ toxicity manifested as congestion, oedema, or stagnation of blood. An analytical investigation confirmed the presence of bendiocarb in liver in the 1808–7721 ng/g range. Furthermore, the presence of this compound was qualitatively confirmed in the stomach and beak contents and also in the bait located near the deceased animals. Conclusions: A comprehensive forensic examination is crucial to monitor wildlife fatalities, especially applying a combined analytical and histopathological approach to identify and eliminate highly toxic substances which pose a threat to the ecosystem.

Zhuang Medicine Jin-mu Granules (ZMJG) are prescriptions derived from the Zhuang nationality, which is the largest minority among 56 ethnic groups in China. They have been widely used in the treatment of chronic pelvic inflammatory disease (CPID) in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for clearing away heat and toxins, removing dampness and poisoning. CPID is a common gynecological disease of female reproductive organs and surrounding tissues and is characterized by persistent and recurrent symptoms, causing serious physical and psychological damage to the patient. Preliminary research found that ZMJG have beneficial effects on CPID model rats, but the metabolic mechanism underlying their protective effects is unclear. In this study, we used the strategy of combining network pharmacology, pharmacodynamic, and metabolomic approaches to investigate the molecular mechanisms and potential targets of ZMJG for the treatment of CPID. First, a network diagram of “medicinal materials-components-targets-pathways” based on network pharmacology was constructed to obtain a preliminary understanding of the biologically active compounds and related targets of ZMJG and clarify their molecular mechanism in CPID. Subsequently, the in vivo efficacy of ZMJG was verified in a rat model. Furthermore, we analyzed the corresponding metabolomics profile to explore the differentially induced metabolic markers and elucidate the metabolic mechanism by which ZMJG treat CPID. The results show that the therapeutic effect of ZMJG on CPID is mediated through multiple pathways, metabolic pathways, and multi-component multi-target modes, providing a detailed theoretical basis for the development and clinical application of ZMJG and a new research idea for the treatment of CPID in Chinese medicine.

Apesar das medidas empregadas no tratamento de acidentados com Bothrops moojeni em Mato Grosso do Sul/MS, existem dificuldades ainda de tratamento na região. Este trabalho tem como finalidade avaliar o efeito do extrato aquoso de S. hispida no fígado de ratos injetados com veneno de B. moojeni, associados a testes de função hepática e laser de baixa potência. Foram utilizados 60 ratos Wistar, divididos em 5 grupos: solução salina (SS), veneno + extrato aquoso de S. hispida intraperitoneal (Vb ExtA Sh. i.p.), veneno + extrato aquoso via gavagem de S. híspida (Vb ExtA Sh. v.g), veneno laser de baixa potência (Vb Lbp) e veneno bruto (Vb Bm). Os animais foram eutanasiados com Zoletil© em dose excessiva, o órgão foi fixado em paraformaldeído 4%, sendo processado e incluído em parafina para a obtenção de cortes histológicos e posteriormente corados com Hematoxilina-Eosina (HE), Tricrômico de Mason (TM) e Reação do Reativo de Schiff (PAS). Os danos causados pelo veneno bruto de B. moojeni foram avaliados através de análises histológicas do tecido e o sangue foi coletado para avaliação enzimática em função do tempo pós-envenenamento e em função dos tratamentos. Histologicamente os grupos tratados com extrato aquoso de S. hispida mostraram melhora no tecido lesado pelo veneno, porém o grupo tratado com laser mostrou ação mais promissora em relação aos níveis enzimáticos que foram mais significativos.Effect of Aqueous Extract from Sebastiana hispida in Liver of Mice Injected with Bothrops moojeni Venom, Correlated with Enzyme Markers and Low Power LaserDespite the measures employed in the treatment of injured with Bothrops moojeni in MS, there are still difficulties of treatment in the region. This work aims to assess the effect of laser therapy and aqueous extract of S. hispida and in liver of rats injected with venom of B. moojeni, associated with liver function tests. Wistar rats were used 60, divided into 5 groups: saline solution (SS), poison + aqueous extract of S. hispida intraperitoneal (i.p. sh. ExtA Vb), poison + aqueous extract via force-feeding of S. híspida (Vb ExtA sh. v. g), low power laser poison (Vb Lbp) and crude venom (Vb Bm). The animals were euthanized with Zoletil© in overdose, the organ was fixed at 4% paraformaldehyde, being processed and included in wax for histological and subsequently stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin, Masson’s Trichrome and reaction of the Schiff Reactive. The damage caused by the crude venom of B. moojeni was assessed by histological analysis of tissue and blood was collected for enzyme evaluation time post-poisoning and depending on the treatments. Histologically the groups treated with aqueous extract of S. hispida showed improvement in injured tissue by poison, but catalyzed the laser therapy was more significant.

Dysbiotic disorders, realized as changes in the composition of microbiota of different biotopes, are among the most difficult conditions to cure. This is due primarily to the fact that opportunistic microorganisms that actually mediate the development of such states are characterized by an increased colonization potential, which at the first stage of penetration into a biotope is realized as adhesion to the cell surface. When a microorganism successfully realises this stage it enters into a competitive relationship with the autochthonous flora and begins to inhibit its development. Such strategy becomes especially successful if the colonist has the ability to form a biofilm. It is known that the initial stage of biofilm formation is adhesion onto the surface, therefore, the study of adhesive properties of clinical strains opens the way for understanding the initial processes of development of dysbiosis and allows for the development of preventive measures. The aim of our research was to investigate the differences in the manifestation of adhesive properties of film-forming strains of staphylococci isolated from different compartments of the human gastrointestinal tract. We established that the frequency of detection of film-forming strains of staphylococci in different compartments of the gastrointestinal tract in the norm or during the development of lesions was for Staphylococcus aureus from 23.8% to 79.4%, and for S. epidermidis from 15.4% to 100%, which indicates the significant role of these microorganisms in the development of complications at the specified biotope. It was determined that the maximal manifestation of adhesive properties was typical for biofilm-forming strains of S. epidermidis and S. aureus isolated during intestinal dysbiosis. The average values of the adhesion index were 6.00 ± 1.41 and 5.88 ± 2.22 and the index of adhesion of microorganisms was 6.61 ± 1.46 and 6.64 ± 2.48 respectively. The lowest value of these indices for film-forming strains was determined for strains of staphylococci isolated from the gastrointestinal tracts of patients suffering from food poisoning – 2.60 ± 1.14 and 2.86 ± 1.23 respectively. The obtained data suggest that the ability for biofilm-formation and a high level of adhesion indexes indicate with a high probability that a strain will cause long-lasting lesions, such as dysbiosis. The determination of these markers at the diagnostic stage will allow a broader study of the biological properties of the strain, which may be the basis for the development of an individual, optimal therapeutic scheme that conforms with the tasks of personalized medicine.

A laboratory bioassay was conducted to evaluate the effects of spirodiclofen on the survival and reproduction of young and mated females of two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch). The females were sprayed with a series of acaricide concentrations (96, 48, 24, 12, and 6 mg/l) 24-30 h after adult emergence, i.e., at the age most likely to exhibit dispersal behavior and close to their reproductive maximum. The proportions of T. urticae females that survived treatment without symptoms of poisoning were concentration-dependent, ranging between 0.41 and 0.88 (0.96 in the control). With the exception of females that survived 6 mg/l, fecundity of the treated female mites was strongly affected during the exposure, compared to the control. The mean daily fecundity (EL) and mean daily fertility (EH) of surviving females, transferred daily to new leaf disks over the following five days, significantly decreased as spirodiclofen concentrations increased. In treatments with 6 mg/l and 12 mg/l, only the latter concentration significantly reduced both EL and EH, compared to the control. In females that survived 24 mg/l and 48 mg/l, these life history parameters were reduced by over 90%, while treatment with 96 mg/l completely terminated egg-laying. The treated females lived for a significantly shorter time than untreated ones, with the exception of females that survived 6 mg/l. Compared to the control females, gross fecundity (GL) and gross fertility (GH) of the treated females were strongly reduced on the first and second day; from the third day onward, females treated with the lowest concentrations achieved marked recovery, their GL and GH going even above the values in the control. However, net fecundity (NL) and net fertility (NH) of all treated females decreased considerably throughout the trial, indicating that survival rates of these females were lower, compared to the control. Calculated as total sums of gross and net daily schedules within five days, fecundity and fertility significantly decreased as spirodiclofen concentration increased. The two lowest concentrations failed to achieve a significant reduction of GL, while GH, NL, and NH were significantly lower than control values starting with the females treated with 6 mg/L. A high percentage of unhatched eggs, especially during the initial two days after treatment (35-100%), further contributed to the significant reduction in fertility of the females treated with spirodiclofen. All concentrations of spirodiclofen significantly reduced the instantaneous rate of increase. Regression analysis showed a linear population decline with increased acaricide concentrations (y = 1.13 - 0.24x; R2 = 0.91, p < 0.05).

Abstract. Pesticides are chemicals that kill or manage the population of pests. There are many different types of pesticides on the market today, but the most common are herbicides and insecticides, which kill or manage unwanted plants and insects. The benefits of pesticides include increased food production, increased profits for farmers and the prevention of diseases. Although pests consume or harm a large portion of agricultural crops, without the use of pesticides, it is likely that they would consume a higher percentage. More food is produced by farmers, thereby increasing profit. Pesticides also increase farm profits by helping the farmer save money on labor costs. Using pesticides reduces the amount of time required to manually remove weeds and pests from the fields. In addition to saving crops and livestock, pesticides have also had direct benefits to human health. It is estimated that since 1945, the use of pesticides has prevented the deaths of around seven million people by killing pests that carry or transmit diseases. Although there are benefits to the use of pesticides, there have also been many problems associated with their use. Pesticides do not always stay in the location where they are applied. They are mobile in the environment and often move through water, air and soil. The problem with pesticide mobility is that when they travel, the pesticides come in contact with other organisms and can cause harm. Pesticides have also been shown to disrupt the balance of an ecosystem. In many situations when a pesticide is used, it also kills non-pest organisms. This can drastically alter the natural balance of the ecosystem. By removing non-pest organisms, the environment can be changed to favor the pest. In addition to causing harm to wildlife, pesticides that travel from their original location are known to cause harm to humans. Human exposure to pesticides has caused poisonings, the development of cancer and the deaths of between 20000 and 40000 people worldwide each year. Another major problem associated with pesticide use is bioaccumulation and biological magnification. Bioaccumulation is when a substance builds up in the body because the body does not have the proper mechanisms to remove it. Many synthetic pesticides are not able to be broken down. Once they enter the body of an organism, they are permanently stored in the body tissue.

In Ukraine there is a complicated epizootic situation caused by the spread of serious viral diseases, in particular in the pig breeding of African swine fever (ACS) and epidemic swine diarrhea (EDS). In such conditions, the market for disinfectants is actively developing, but often drugs do not prevent the spread of viral diseases. This is due to the discrepancy in methods and doses of application, the weak effect on certain viruses and bacteria, and also the wrong organization of disinfection. The veterinary well-being of livestock farms, complexes and poultry farms largely depends on the regular and thorough carrying out of veterinary and sanitary measures. Disinfection is an important part of the measures aimed at preventing and controlling infectious animal diseases. In most cases, existing disinfectants and recommendations for their use were designed for large commodity and industrial complexes that do not fully meet the requirements of small farms. Most commonly used disposables are toxic to humans and animals (sodium or potassium hydroxide solution, bleach, phenol and others), so they should be carefully used to prevent poisoning. In veterinary practice there are practically no ecologically clean and safe disinfection means that can be used for sanitation of various objects of veterinary supervision, including in the presence of animals and poultry. The practice of using disinfectants in agriculture for persistent chemicals such as bleach, hydrogen peroxide, formaldehyde and several others have proved to be unserviceable in many ways. Before all it is biological harmfulness, impossibility to carry out disinfection in the presence of animals and poultry, adaptation of pathogenic microflora, high cost, high complexity of treatment of objects, clogging of the external environment, etc. Most modern low-toxic disinfectants are used in the form of solutions by irrigation or aerosols, but it is not possible to rehabilitate their premises in the presence of animals. The use of these agents is also relatively labor-intensive, greatly increases the humidity in the room, and there is a likelihood of accumulation of their residual amounts in meat. Therefore, as an option - it is worth considering the current disinfection of premises with dry biocidal preparations, for example: Stalosan F (Vitfoss, Denmark), Dezosan Vigor (JHJ, Poland), Advais draj (NutriConcept, France), Lyubisan-eko, Lyubisan pyglet (LLC Ekodisan-Ukraine), Clinosan "ZVK" (Ukraine), Mecadzade (NPC "Globus", Ukraine) and others. These disinfectants, in their properties, are environmentally friendly, represent an amorphous powder of pleasant smell, which can absorb moisture. They are effective in the destruction and control of many bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and fly larvae. In addition, they improve the quality of the litter, reduce the ammonia content and moisture in livestock buildings. The main properties of the above-mentioned disinfectants include: use without restrictions in any livestock and poultry facilities (at doses of 30-50 g / m2, depending on the means), once a day during the first three days, then once a week at the indicated dose). In case of an increased risk of infection, use should be increased up to 2-3 times a week; urea bindings - prophylaxis of ammonia formation; prevention of manifestations of diseases associated with excessive moisture (dermatitis, coccidiosis, etc.); destruction and delay of the development of pathogenic and saprophytic molds, many bacteria (staphylococci, streptococcus, salmonella, pasteurens, emerios, coronaviruses), etc. When the disinfectant enters into or on the skin and mucous membranes, it does not exert an irritating effect on the organism of animals and birds. Has aseptic properties (healing of scratches and wounds of the skin). In the gastrointestinal tract, they destroy the pathogenic microflora; improves digestion and general physiological state. Activates indicators of humoral and cellular immunity. Improves animal survival and productivity. However, there are certain difficulties for dry disinfectants. First, imported disinfestations are relatively expensive (Stalosan F - up to 40 UAH, Dezosan Vigor - 30-35 UAH, Advice dry - 18-20, Mijsedas and Klinosan - 15-20 UAH / kg, depending on the seller price and the region. Secondly, the lack of domestic technical means for their sawing. Third, the use of the staff to certain means, and the transition to cheaper causes unpleasant organoleptic feelings during application. Thus, to date, both imported and domestic disinfectants have been developed and widely used, which are sufficiently effective. However, the range of preparations presented on the market of veterinary disinfectants does not fully meet the requirements that are being put forward to them. The means that would meet all the requirements for the quality and safety of disinfection is not enough today. Therefore, the development of new domestic disinfectants, especially dry forms, on time. Key words: veterinary well-being, veterinary-sanitary measures, sources of infection, pathogens transfer factors, susceptibility of the organism, complex of measures, disinfection tasks, disinfectant, animals, safe and high-quality products.

Aim. To study the state of lipid peroxidation processes in case of psychodisleptic poisoning of the “bath salt” type and to determine the clinical and biochemical markers of a favorable and complicated course of the acute period of poisoning. Methods. In 347 patients with acute household poisoning (“bath salts”) admitted to the toxicology department of the Chelyabinsk Regional Clinical Hospital №3, the clinical and biochemical features of the acute period of psychodisleptic poisoning (“bath salts”) were studied in a favorable and unfavorable course. Blood and urine samples were taken from all patients, which later underwent chemical and toxicological studies by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Also, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activity were determined in selected blood samples. Lipid peroxidation products were detected in heptane-isopropanol extracts of biological material by spectrophotometry. The intensity of Fe2+-ascorbate-induced lipid peroxidation was determined in E.I. L'vovskaya's modification. The study of patients' samples was carried out in the biochemical laboratory of the regional clinical hospital №3, at the Department of Biochemistry of the Ural state university of physical culture and the South Ural state medical university of Chelyabinsk. Results. Patients with “bath salts” poisoning in the acute period showed an elevated content of all categories of peroxidation products in the blood serum — by 1.51–1.70 times more than in the control group of healthy people. A decrease in antioxidant activity values I and II by 1.13–1.31 times was also found. With favorable outcomes of poisoning, the level of activation of lipid peroxidation processes decreased with an adequate increase in the activity of the antioxidant system by 1.5–1.6 times. The activation of lipid peroxidation processes in the blood serum accompanied by a decrease in the activity of antioxidant system led to an unfavorable course of the disease and the development of cerebral edema in 18 patients which was fatal. Conclusion. The clinical and biochemical features of the course of the acute period of poisoning with “bath salts” revealed by us suggest adverse outcomes of the disease with a tendency to an increase in the content of serum lipid peroxidation products in the course of the disease (instead of reducing them) along with a reduction of antioxidant activity; these indicators should be compensated by the use of antioxidant therapy.

Benzene (B), toluene (T), ethylbenzene (E) and xylene (X) are used commonly in paint industry, so workers who are a high risk of exposure to organic solvent (VOCs). CYP2E1 gene encodes CYP2E1 which plays an important role in the metabolism and bio-activation of volatile organic compounds. When workers expose to VOCs, their body will have a mechanism to metabolize the toxic. The enhancement of mRNA expression of CYP2E1 is a very sensitive and accurate biological marker, which is the basis for the next study to propose the level of mRNA expression of CYP2E1 gene as a human biological indicator to monitor to workers occupationally exposed to VOCs. In this study, we studied the level of mRNA expression of CYP2E1 gene from 118 participants that including 73 workers of exposed group from the paint factories and 45 workers of non-exposed group from garment factories by using Realtime-PCR with SYBR Green – an asymmetrical cyanine dye used as a nucleic acid stain in molecular biology. The initial results, showed that the exposed group had a higher mRNA expression level of CYP2E1 than the non-exposed group approximately 10.47 times, and this difference was statistically significant (P value < 0.05). And the age and the duration of exposure to organic solvents do not affect the expression level of CYP2E1. Keywords CYP2E1, the metabolisms of volatile organic compounds, mRNA expression of CYP2E1. References [1] A. Mendoza-Cantu, F. Castorena-Torres, M. Bermudez De Leon et al., Occupational toluene exposure induces cytochrome P450 2E1 mRNA expression in peripheral lymphocytes, Environmental Health Perspectives, 114 (2006) 494 - 499. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.8192.[2] J.H. Hartman, G. Boysen and G.P. Miller, CYP2E1 metabolism of styrene involves allostery, Drug Metabolism and Disposition, 40 (2012) 1976-1983. https://doi.org/10.1124/dmd. 112.046698. [3] S.M. Zhu, X.F. Ren, J.X. Wan et al., Evaluation in vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) - exposed workers and the relationship between liver lesions and gene polymorphisms of metabolic enzymes, World Journal of Gastroenterology,11 (2005) 5821 -5827. 10.3748/wjg.v11.i37.5821.[4] J. Wan, J. Shi, L. Hui et al., Association of genetic polymorphisms in CYP2E1, MPO, NQO1, GSTM1, and GSTT1 genes with benzene poisoning, Environmental Health Perspectives, 110 (2002), 1213-1218. https://doi.org/10.1289/ ehp.021101213.[5] U. Bernauer, B. Vieth, R. Ellrich et al., CYP2E1 - dependent benzene toxicity: the role of extrahepatic benzene metabolism, Archives of Toxicology, 73 (1999) 189 -196. https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s002040050605. [6] P.L. Sheets, G.S. Yost and G.P. Carlson. Benzene metabolism in human lung cell lines BEAS‐2B and A549 and cells overexpressing CYP2F1, Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology, 18 (2004) 92-99. https://doi.org/10. 1002/jbt.20010.[7] V. Nedelcheva, I. Gut, P. Souček et al., Metabolism of benzene in human liver microsomes: individual variations in relation to CYP2E1 expression, Archives of Toxicology, 73 (1999) 33-40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s0020400 50583.[8] W. Tassaneeyakul, D.J. Birkett, J.W. Edwards et al., Human cytochrome P450 isoform specificity in the regioselective metabolism of toluene and o-, m-and p-xylene, Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 276 (1996) 101 - 108. 10.1163/2211730x96x00063[9] A.-H. Wang, S.-M. Zhu, Y.-L. Qiu et al., CYP2E1 mRNA expression, genetic polymorphisms in peripheral blood lymphocytes and liver abnormalities in Chinese VCM-exposed workers, International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 21 (2008), 141 - 146. 10.2478/v10001-008-0016-x.[10] J. Zhang, Y. Lihong, G. Liang et al., Detection of CYP2E1, a genetic biomarker of susceptibility to benzene metabolism toxicity in immortal human lymphocytes derived from the Han Chinese population, Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, 24 (2011) 300-309. https://doi.org/10. 3967/0895-3988.2011.03.014[11] American Conference of Industrial Hygienists, Guide to Occupational Exposeure Values, ACGIH, Cincinnati, 2018.[12] Bộ Y Tế, Quyết định của Bộ trưởng Bộ Y tế về việc ban hành 21 tiêu chuẩn vệ sinh lao động, 05 nguyên tắc và 07 thông số vệ sinh lao động, 2002.[13] American Conference of Industrial Hygienists, Threshold Limit Value for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices, ACGIH, Cincinnati, 2018.[14] Bộ Y Tế, Thông tư 28/2006/TT- BYT hướng dẫn quản lý bệnh bệnh nghề nghiệp, 2016.[15] M. Al Zallouha, Y. Landkocz, J. Brunet et al., Usefulness of toxicological validation of VOCs catalytic degradation by air-liquid interface exposure system", Environmental Research, 152 (2017) 328-335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres. 2016.10.027

AbstractThe emergence of new psychoactive substances on the market is a significant problem on a global scale. This type of substance in society is associated with many negative consequences, such as traffic accidents, accidents at work, rape, homicide, poisoning, or overdose deaths. The analysis of these substances in biological samples is very important for further legal action and saving lives. Therefore, laboratories face a tremendous challenge in tackling the evolving drug market. The paper describes the optimization of the analytical LC–MS/MS method to identify and determine 513 psychoactive substances in hair samples. A method of chromatographic separation was developed, and the working parameters of the mass spectrometer were selected for each analyte. The method has been validated, and the results are as follows: the limit of quantification of the developed method ranges from 0.025 to 1.25 ng/mg hair. The mean recovery of the tested analytes ranges from 80 to 120%. The achieved coefficient of variation in within-run precision ranged from 1.05 to 19.99%. The results achieved for BIAS are in the range of ± 20%.

Abstract Purpose The emergence of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) has been being a continuous and evolving problem for more than a decade. Every year, dozens of new, previously unknown drugs appear on the illegal market, posing a significant threat to the health and lives of their users. Synthetic cathinones are one of the most numerous and widespread groups among NPS. The purpose of this work was to identify and summarize available data on newly emerging cathinones in very recent years. Methods Various online databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, but also databases of government agencies including those involved in early warning systems, were used in search of reports on the identification of newly emerging synthetic cathinones. In addition, threads on various forums created by users of these drugs were searched for reports on the effects of these new substances. Results We have identified 29 synthetic cathinones that have been detected for the first time from early 2019 to mid-2022. We described their structures, known intoxication symptoms, detected concentrations in biological material in poisoning cases, as well as the countries and dates of their first appearance. Due to the lack of studies on the properties of the novel compounds, we compared data on the pharmacological profiles of the better-known synthetic cathinones with available information on the newly emerged ones. Some of these new agents already posed a threat, as the first cases of poisonings, including fatal ones, have been reported. Conclusions Most of the newly developed synthetic cathinones can be seen as analogs and replacements for once-popular compounds that have been declining in popularity as a result of legislative efforts. Although it appears that some of the newly emerging cathinones are not widely used, they may become more popular in the future and could become a significant threat to health and life. Therefore, it is important to continue developing early warning systems and identifying new compounds so that their widespread can be prevented.

Background: Pesticide poisoning has indeed been recognized as a significant global health problem, and it is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality.Organophosphorus compounds (OP) are extensively used in agriculture, domestic pest control, and biological agents. Each year, an estimated 25 million farmers in developing countries are poisoned by pesticides, commonly OP, which is known to cause serious health ill effects. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the histomorphological alterations in natural tooth due to exposure to different organophosphorous compounds. Materials and Methods: This research was carried out with organophosphorous compound - ANUFURAN 3G, carbofuran 3% CG purchased from local commercial market. The OP was available as solid crystals which made into a solution by adding 1g of OP compounds to 100ml of distilled water. The natural tooth was immersed in the respective solution for an hour and assessed for morphological &histological alterations through ground sections (200μm). Results: Visually, there were very mild purplish tint on the cervical and apical 1/3rd of the tooth. Histologically, there were increased enamel lamellae which may have propagated to crack. The dentinal tubules were prominent and the pulpal tissue was completely dissolved. Conclusion: The OP compounds did not prove to show any morphological or histological alterations to natural tooth.

Vibrio alginolyticus is one of the most important of pathogens that can infect humans and a variety of aquatic animals, and it can cause food poisoning and septicemia in humans. Widely used antibiotics are gradually losing their usefulness, and phages are gaining more attention as new antibacterial strategies. To have more potential strategies for controlling pathogenic bacteria, we isolated a novel V. alginolyticus phage BUCT549 from seafood market sewage. It was classified as a new member of the family Siphoviridae by transmission electron microscopy and a phylogenetic tree. We propose creating a new genus for BUCT549 based on the intergenomic similarities (maximum is 56%) obtained from VIRIDIC calculations. Phage BUCT549 could be used for phage therapy due to its stability in a wide pH (3.0–11.0) range and high-temperature (up to 60°C) environment. It had a latent period of 30–40 min and a burst size of 141 PFU/infected bacterium. In the phylogenetic tree based on a terminase large subunit, BUCT549 was closely related to eight Vibrio phages with different species of host. Meanwhile, our experiments proved that BUCT549 has the ability to infect a strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. A coevolution experiment determined that three strains of tolerant V. alginolyticus evaded phage infestation by mutating the MSHA-related membrane protein expression genes, which caused the loss of flagellum. This research on novel phage identification and the mechanism of infestation will help phages to become an integral part of the strategy for biological control agents.

IntroductionFood safety is an important public health concern globally. Risk communication is one of crucial element to manage food safety. While current food safety studies have focused on contamination of hazards or risk factors, limited research exists on consumer concerns, knowledge and perception about the actual risk food poses to their health. This study aimed to assess and compare the knowledge and perceptions regarding food safety, and the information needed and trusted by pork consumers in Northern Vietnam.MethodsA total of 225 consumers recruited from three different market types: modern urban, traditional urban and traditional rural, were interviewed using a questionnaire between November to December 2019.ResultsThe majority of participants (81.8%) were female and consumers interviewed at modern urban retail were younger than those interviewed at traditional retail settings (p &lt; 0.01). Sixty-five percent of participants across the three retail types agreed that microbes were the most common hazards which can make them sick, but the adverse health effect due to chemical hazards was ranked higher than that of biological hazards. Most participants often received food safety information that was about animal diseases (such as African swine fever most recently), chemical contamination and the unknown origin of food rather than about food poisoning and measures to prevent it. Food safety messages from television and professional experts were the most trusted sources and consumer preference was for information about the origin of food (traceability) and how to choose safe food. Participants were willing to receive food safety information daily to weekly. A lack of perception and awareness about animal welfare related to pig farming or slaughtering was reported by most respondents (84.3%).DiscussionThese findings provide insight on Vietnamese consumer knowledge gaps, information demand and communication channels for food safety, so that risk communicators and managers can implement better food safety awareness campaigns and communication to consumers.

When George Orwell encountered ideas of a technological utopia sixty-five years ago, he acted the grumpy middle-aged man Reading recently a batch of rather shallowly optimistic “progressive” books, I was struck by the automatic way in which people go on repeating certain phrases which were fashionable before 1914. Two great favourites are “the abolition of distance” and “the disappearance of frontiers”. I do not know how often I have met with the statements that “the aeroplane and the radio have abolished distance” and “all parts of the world are now interdependent” (1944). It is worth revisiting the old boy’s grumpiness, because the rhetoric he so niftily skewers continues in our own time. Facebook features “Peace on Facebook” and even claims that it can “decrease world conflict” through inter-cultural communication. Twitter has announced itself as “a triumph of humanity” (“A Cyber-House” 61). Queue George. In between Orwell and latter-day hoody cybertarians, a whole host of excitable public intellectuals announced the impending end of materiality through emergent media forms. Marshall McLuhan, Neil Postman, Daniel Bell, Ithiel de Sola Pool, George Gilder, Alvin Toffler—the list of 1960s futurists goes on and on. And this wasn’t just a matter of punditry: the OECD decreed the coming of the “information society” in 1975 and the European Union (EU) followed suit in 1979, while IBM merrily declared an “information age” in 1977. Bell theorized this technological utopia as post-ideological, because class would cease to matter (Mattelart). Polluting industries seemingly no longer represented the dynamic core of industrial capitalism; instead, market dynamism radiated from a networked, intellectual core of creative and informational activities. The new information and knowledge-based economies would rescue First World hegemony from an “insurgent world” that lurked within as well as beyond itself (Schiller). Orwell’s others and the Cold-War futurists propagated one of the most destructive myths shaping both public debate and scholarly studies of the media, culture, and communication. They convinced generations of analysts, activists, and arrivistes that the promises and problems of the media could be understood via metaphors of the environment, and that the media were weightless and virtual. The famous medium they wished us to see as the message —a substance as vital to our wellbeing as air, water, and soil—turned out to be no such thing. Today’s cybertarians inherit their anti-Marxist, anti-materialist positions, as a casual glance at any new media journal, culture-industry magazine, or bourgeois press outlet discloses. The media are undoubtedly important instruments of social cohesion and fragmentation, political power and dissent, democracy and demagoguery, and other fraught extensions of human consciousness. But talk of media systems as equivalent to physical ecosystems—fashionable among marketers and media scholars alike—is predicated on the notion that they are environmentally benign technologies. This has never been true, from the beginnings of print to today’s cloud-covered computing. Our new book Greening the Media focuses on the environmental impact of the media—the myriad ways that media technology consumes, despoils, and wastes natural resources. We introduce ideas, stories, and facts that have been marginal or absent from popular, academic, and professional histories of media technology. Throughout, ecological issues have been at the core of our work and we immodestly think the same should apply to media communications, and cultural studies more generally. We recognize that those fields have contributed valuable research and teaching that address environmental questions. For instance, there is an abundant literature on representations of the environment in cinema, how to communicate environmental messages successfully, and press coverage of climate change. That’s not enough. You may already know that media technologies contain toxic substances. You may have signed an on-line petition protesting the hazardous and oppressive conditions under which workers assemble cell phones and computers. But you may be startled, as we were, by the scale and pervasiveness of these environmental risks. They are present in and around every site where electronic and electric devices are manufactured, used, and thrown away, poisoning humans, animals, vegetation, soil, air and water. We are using the term “media” as a portmanteau word to cover a multitude of cultural and communications machines and processes—print, film, radio, television, information and communications technologies (ICT), and consumer electronics (CE). This is not only for analytical convenience, but because there is increasing overlap between the sectors. CE connect to ICT and vice versa; televisions resemble computers; books are read on telephones; newspapers are written through clouds; and so on. Cultural forms and gadgets that were once separate are now linked. The currently fashionable notion of convergence doesn’t quite capture the vastness of this integration, which includes any object with a circuit board, scores of accessories that plug into it, and a global nexus of labor and environmental inputs and effects that produce and flow from it. In 2007, a combination of ICT/CE and media production accounted for between 2 and 3 percent of all greenhouse gases emitted around the world (“Gartner Estimates,”; International Telecommunication Union; Malmodin et al.). Between twenty and fifty million tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) are generated annually, much of it via discarded cell phones and computers, which affluent populations throw out regularly in order to buy replacements. (Presumably this fits the narcissism of small differences that distinguishes them from their own past.) E-waste is historically produced in the Global North—Australasia, Western Europe, Japan, and the US—and dumped in the Global South—Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, Southern and Southeast Asia, and China. It takes the form of a thousand different, often deadly, materials for each electrical and electronic gadget. This trend is changing as India and China generate their own media detritus (Robinson; Herat). Enclosed hard drives, backlit screens, cathode ray tubes, wiring, capacitors, and heavy metals pose few risks while these materials remain encased. But once discarded and dismantled, ICT/CE have the potential to expose workers and ecosystems to a morass of toxic components. Theoretically, “outmoded” parts could be reused or swapped for newer parts to refurbish devices. But items that are defined as waste undergo further destruction in order to collect remaining parts and valuable metals, such as gold, silver, copper, and rare-earth elements. This process causes serious health risks to bones, brains, stomachs, lungs, and other vital organs, in addition to birth defects and disrupted biological development in children. Medical catastrophes can result from lead, cadmium, mercury, other heavy metals, poisonous fumes emitted in search of precious metals, and such carcinogenic compounds as polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxin, polyvinyl chloride, and flame retardants (Maxwell and Miller 13). The United States’ Environmental Protection Agency estimates that by 2007 US residents owned approximately three billion electronic devices, with an annual turnover rate of 400 million units, and well over half such purchases made by women. Overall CE ownership varied with age—adults under 45 typically boasted four gadgets; those over 65 made do with one. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) says US$145 billion was expended in the sector in 2006 in the US alone, up 13% on the previous year. The CEA refers joyously to a “consumer love affair with technology continuing at a healthy clip.” In the midst of a recession, 2009 saw $165 billion in sales, and households owned between fifteen and twenty-four gadgets on average. By 2010, US$233 billion was spent on electronic products, three-quarters of the population owned a computer, nearly half of all US adults owned an MP3 player, and 85% had a cell phone. By all measures, the amount of ICT/CE on the planet is staggering. As investigative science journalist, Elizabeth Grossman put it: “no industry pushes products into the global market on the scale that high-tech electronics does” (Maxwell and Miller 2). In 2007, “of the 2.25 million tons of TVs, cell phones and computer products ready for end-of-life management, 18% (414,000 tons) was collected for recycling and 82% (1.84 million tons) was disposed of, primarily in landfill” (Environmental Protection Agency 1). Twenty million computers fell obsolete across the US in 1998, and the rate was 130,000 a day by 2005. It has been estimated that the five hundred million personal computers discarded in the US between 1997 and 2007 contained 6.32 billion pounds of plastics, 1.58 billion pounds of lead, three million pounds of cadmium, 1.9 million pounds of chromium, and 632000 pounds of mercury (Environmental Protection Agency; Basel Action Network and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition 6). The European Union is expected to generate upwards of twelve million tons annually by 2020 (Commission of the European Communities 17). While refrigerators and dangerous refrigerants account for the bulk of EU e-waste, about 44% of the most toxic e-waste measured in 2005 came from medium-to-small ICT/CE: computer monitors, TVs, printers, ink cartridges, telecommunications equipment, toys, tools, and anything with a circuit board (Commission of the European Communities 31-34). Understanding the enormity of the environmental problems caused by making, using, and disposing of media technologies should arrest our enthusiasm for them. But intellectual correctives to the “love affair” with technology, or technophilia, have come and gone without establishing much of a foothold against the breathtaking flood of gadgets and the propaganda that proclaims their awe-inspiring capabilities.[i] There is a peculiar enchantment with the seeming magic of wireless communication, touch-screen phones and tablets, flat-screen high-definition televisions, 3-D IMAX cinema, mobile computing, and so on—a totemic, quasi-sacred power that the historian of technology David Nye has named the technological sublime (Nye Technological Sublime 297).[ii] We demonstrate in our book why there is no place for the technological sublime in projects to green the media. But first we should explain why such symbolic power does not accrue to more mundane technologies; after all, for the time-strapped cook, a pressure cooker does truly magical things. Three important qualities endow ICT/CE with unique symbolic potency—virtuality, volume, and novelty. The technological sublime of media technology is reinforced by the “virtual nature of much of the industry’s content,” which “tends to obscure their responsibility for a vast proliferation of hardware, all with high levels of built-in obsolescence and decreasing levels of efficiency” (Boyce and Lewis 5). Planned obsolescence entered the lexicon as a new “ethics” for electrical engineering in the 1920s and ’30s, when marketers, eager to “habituate people to buying new products,” called for designs to become quickly obsolete “in efficiency, economy, style, or taste” (Grossman 7-8).[iii] This defines the short lifespan deliberately constructed for computer systems (drives, interfaces, operating systems, batteries, etc.) by making tiny improvements incompatible with existing hardware (Science and Technology Council of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 33-50; Boyce and Lewis). With planned obsolescence leading to “dizzying new heights” of product replacement (Rogers 202), there is an overstated sense of the novelty and preeminence of “new” media—a “cult of the present” is particularly dazzled by the spread of electronic gadgets through globalization (Mattelart and Constantinou 22). References to the symbolic power of media technology can be found in hymnals across the internet and the halls of academe: technologies change us, the media will solve social problems or create new ones, ICTs transform work, monopoly ownership no longer matters, journalism is dead, social networking enables social revolution, and the media deliver a cleaner, post-industrial, capitalism. Here is a typical example from the twilight zone of the technological sublime (actually, the OECD): A major feature of the knowledge-based economy is the impact that ICTs have had on industrial structure, with a rapid growth of services and a relative decline of manufacturing. Services are typically less energy intensive and less polluting, so among those countries with a high and increasing share of services, we often see a declining energy intensity of production … with the emergence of the Knowledge Economy ending the old linear relationship between output and energy use (i.e. partially de-coupling growth and energy use) (Houghton 1) This statement mixes half-truths and nonsense. In reality, old-time, toxic manufacturing has moved to the Global South, where it is ascendant; pollution levels are rising worldwide; and energy consumption is accelerating in residential and institutional sectors, due almost entirely to ICT/CE usage, despite advances in energy conservation technology (a neat instance of the age-old Jevons Paradox). In our book we show how these are all outcomes of growth in ICT/CE, the foundation of the so-called knowledge-based economy. ICT/CE are misleadingly presented as having little or no material ecological impact. In the realm of everyday life, the sublime experience of electronic machinery conceals the physical work and material resources that go into them, while the technological sublime makes the idea that more-is-better palatable, axiomatic; even sexy. In this sense, the technological sublime relates to what Marx called “the Fetishism which attaches itself to the products of labour” once they are in the hands of the consumer, who lusts after them as if they were “independent beings” (77). There is a direct but unseen relationship between technology’s symbolic power and the scale of its environmental impact, which the economist Juliet Schor refers to as a “materiality paradox” —the greater the frenzy to buy goods for their transcendent or nonmaterial cultural meaning, the greater the use of material resources (40-41). We wrote Greening the Media knowing that a study of the media’s effect on the environment must work especially hard to break the enchantment that inflames popular and elite passions for media technologies. We understand that the mere mention of the political-economic arrangements that make shiny gadgets possible, or the environmental consequences of their appearance and disappearance, is bad medicine. It’s an unwelcome buzz kill—not a cool way to converse about cool stuff. But we didn’t write the book expecting to win many allies among high-tech enthusiasts and ICT/CE industry leaders. We do not dispute the importance of information and communication media in our lives and modern social systems. We are media people by profession and personal choice, and deeply immersed in the study and use of emerging media technologies. But we think it’s time for a balanced assessment with less hype and more practical understanding of the relationship of media technologies to the biosphere they inhabit. Media consumers, designers, producers, activists, researchers, and policy makers must find new and effective ways to move ICT/CE production and consumption toward ecologically sound practices. In the course of this project, we found in casual conversation, lecture halls, classroom discussions, and correspondence, consistent and increasing concern with the environmental impact of media technology, especially the deleterious effects of e-waste toxins on workers, air, water, and soil. We have learned that the grip of the technological sublime is not ironclad. Its instability provides a point of departure for investigating and criticizing the relationship between the media and the environment. The media are, and have been for a long time, intimate environmental participants. Media technologies are yesterday’s, today’s, and tomorrow’s news, but rarely in the way they should be. The prevailing myth is that the printing press, telegraph, phonograph, photograph, cinema, telephone, wireless radio, television, and internet changed the world without changing the Earth. In reality, each technology has emerged by despoiling ecosystems and exposing workers to harmful environments, a truth obscured by symbolic power and the power of moguls to set the terms by which such technologies are designed and deployed. Those who benefit from ideas of growth, progress, and convergence, who profit from high-tech innovation, monopoly, and state collusion—the military-industrial-entertainment-academic complex and multinational commandants of labor—have for too long ripped off the Earth and workers. As the current celebration of media technology inevitably winds down, perhaps it will become easier to comprehend that digital wonders come at the expense of employees and ecosystems. This will return us to Max Weber’s insistence that we understand technology in a mundane way as a “mode of processing material goods” (27). Further to understanding that ordinariness, we can turn to the pioneering conversation analyst Harvey Sacks, who noted three decades ago “the failures of technocratic dreams [:] that if only we introduced some fantastic new communication machine the world will be transformed.” Such fantasies derived from the very banality of these introductions—that every time they took place, one more “technical apparatus” was simply “being made at home with the rest of our world’ (548). Media studies can join in this repetitive banality. Or it can withdraw the welcome mat for media technologies that despoil the Earth and wreck the lives of those who make them. In our view, it’s time to green the media by greening media studies. References “A Cyber-House Divided.” Economist 4 Sep. 2010: 61-62. “Gartner Estimates ICT Industry Accounts for 2 Percent of Global CO2 Emissions.” Gartner press release. 6 April 2007. ‹http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=503867›. Basel Action Network and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition. Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia. Seattle: Basel Action Network, 25 Feb. 2002. Benjamin, Walter. “Central Park.” Trans. Lloyd Spencer with Mark Harrington. New German Critique 34 (1985): 32-58. Biagioli, Mario. “Postdisciplinary Liaisons: Science Studies and the Humanities.” Critical Inquiry 35.4 (2009): 816-33. Boyce, Tammy and Justin Lewis, eds. Climate Change and the Media. New York: Peter Lang, 2009. Commission of the European Communities. “Impact Assessment.” Commission Staff Working Paper accompanying the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) (recast). COM (2008) 810 Final. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities, 3 Dec. 2008. Environmental Protection Agency. Management of Electronic Waste in the United States. Washington, DC: EPA, 2007 Environmental Protection Agency. Statistics on the Management of Used and End-of-Life Electronics. Washington, DC: EPA, 2008 Grossman, Elizabeth. Tackling High-Tech Trash: The E-Waste Explosion & What We Can Do about It. New York: Demos, 2008. ‹http://www.demos.org/pubs/e-waste_FINAL.pdf› Herat, Sunil. “Review: Sustainable Management of Electronic Waste (e-Waste).” Clean 35.4 (2007): 305-10. Houghton, J. “ICT and the Environment in Developing Countries: Opportunities and Developments.” Paper prepared for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2009. International Telecommunication Union. ICTs for Environment: Guidelines for Developing Countries, with a Focus on Climate Change. Geneva: ICT Applications and Cybersecurity Division Policies and Strategies Department ITU Telecommunication Development Sector, 2008. Malmodin, Jens, Åsa Moberg, Dag Lundén, Göran Finnveden, and Nina Lövehagen. “Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Operational Electricity Use in the ICT and Entertainment & Media Sectors.” Journal of Industrial Ecology 14.5 (2010): 770-90. Marx, Karl. Capital: Vol. 1: A Critical Analysis of Capitalist Production, 3rd ed. Trans. Samuel Moore and Edward Aveling, Ed. Frederick Engels. New York: International Publishers, 1987. Mattelart, Armand and Costas M. Constantinou. “Communications/Excommunications: An Interview with Armand Mattelart.” Trans. Amandine Bled, Jacques Guot, and Costas Constantinou. Review of International Studies 34.1 (2008): 21-42. Mattelart, Armand. “Cómo nació el mito de Internet.” Trans. Yanina Guthman. El mito internet. Ed. Victor Hugo de la Fuente. Santiago: Editorial aún creemos en los sueños, 2002. 25-32. Maxwell, Richard and Toby Miller. Greening the Media. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. Nye, David E. American Technological Sublime. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1994. Nye, David E. Technology Matters: Questions to Live With. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. 2007. Orwell, George. “As I Please.” Tribune. 12 May 1944. Richtel, Matt. “Consumers Hold on to Products Longer.” New York Times: B1, 26 Feb. 2011. Robinson, Brett H. “E-Waste: An Assessment of Global Production and Environmental Impacts.” Science of the Total Environment 408.2 (2009): 183-91. Rogers, Heather. Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage. New York: New Press, 2005. Sacks, Harvey. Lectures on Conversation. Vols. I and II. Ed. Gail Jefferson. Malden: Blackwell, 1995. Schiller, Herbert I. Information and the Crisis Economy. Norwood: Ablex Publishing, 1984. Schor, Juliet B. Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth. New York: Penguin, 2010. Science and Technology Council of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Digital Dilemma: Strategic Issues in Archiving and Accessing Digital Motion Picture Materials. Los Angeles: Academy Imprints, 2007. Weber, Max. “Remarks on Technology and Culture.” Trans. Beatrix Zumsteg and Thomas M. Kemple. Ed. Thomas M. Kemple. Theory, Culture [i] The global recession that began in 2007 has been the main reason for some declines in Global North energy consumption, slower turnover in gadget upgrades, and longer periods of consumer maintenance of electronic goods (Richtel). [ii] The emergence of the technological sublime has been attributed to the Western triumphs in the post-Second World War period, when technological power supposedly supplanted the power of nature to inspire fear and astonishment (Nye Technology Matters 28). Historian Mario Biagioli explains how the sublime permeates everyday life through technoscience: "If around 1950 the popular imaginary placed science close to the military and away from the home, today’s technoscience frames our everyday life at all levels, down to our notion of the self" (818). [iii] This compulsory repetition is seemingly undertaken each time as a novelty, governed by what German cultural critic Walter Benjamin called, in his awkward but occasionally illuminating prose, "the ever-always-the-same" of "mass-production" cloaked in "a hitherto unheard-of significance" (48).