| 1. |
- Merid, Simon Kebede, et al.
(författare)
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Integration of gene expression and DNA methylation identifies epigenetically controlled modules related to PM2.5 exposure
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environment International. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Air pollution has been associated with adverse health effects across the life-course. Although underlying mechanisms are unclear, several studies suggested pollutant-induced changes in transcriptomic profiles. In this meta-analysis of transcriptome-wide association studies of 656 children and adolescents from three European cohorts participating in the MeDALL Consortium, we found two differentially expressed transcript clusters (FDR p < 0.05) associated with exposure to particulate matter < 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5) at birth, one of them mapping to the MIR1296 gene. Further, by integrating gene expression with DNA methylation using Functional Epigenetic Modules algorithms, we identified 9 and 6 modules in relation to PM2.5 exposure at birth and at current address, respectively (including NR1I2, MAPK6, TAF8 and SCARA3). In conclusion, PM2.5 exposure at birth was linked to differential gene expression in children and adolescents. Importantly, we identified several significant interactome hotspots of gene modules of relevance for complex diseases in relation to PM2.5 exposure.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Pettersson, Catharina, et al.
(författare)
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Changes in molecular weight of humic substances in the Gulf of Bothnia
- 1996
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 22:5, s. 551-558
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Humic substances were isolated in the brackish Gulf of Bothnia utilizing two techniques: ion exchange on DEAE-cellulose and hydrophobic interaction on XAD-8 resin. The salinity of the water resulted in different yields for the two adsorbents. With XAD-8 resin, 30–80% of the organic carbon was isolated, whereas 5–20% was isolated on the DEAE-cellulose. The concentration of total organic carbon was rather constant but the concentration of humic substances decreased with increasing salinity. Gel filtration was used to measure the homogeneity of the humic fraction. Humic substances isolated in December were more homogeneous than those isolated in June, which indicates a degradation during the summer period which might be caused by photolysis or increased microbial degradation during the warm season.
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| 4. |
- Abramova, Anna, 1990, et al.
(författare)
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A global baseline for qPCR-determined antimicrobial resistance gene prevalence across environments
- 2023
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Ingår i: Environment International. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 178
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The environment is an important component in the emergence and transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Despite that, little effort has been made to monitor AMR outside of clinical and veterinary settings. Partially, this is caused by a lack of comprehensive reference data for the vast majority of environments. To enable monitoring to detect deviations from the normal background resistance levels in the environment, it is necessary to establish a baseline of AMR in a variety of settings. In an attempt to establish this baseline level, we here performed a comprehensive literature survey, identifying 150 scientific papers containing relevant qPCR data on antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in environments associated with potential routes for AMR dissemination. The collected data included 1594 samples distributed across 30 different countries and 12 sample types, in a time span from 2001 to 2020. We found that for most ARGs, the typically reported abundances in human impacted environments fell in an interval from 10-5 to 10-3 copies per 16S rRNA, roughly corresponding to one ARG copy in a thousand bacteria. Altogether these data represent a comprehensive overview of the occurrence and levels of ARGs in different environments, providing background data for risk assessment models within current and future AMR monitoring frameworks.
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| 5. |
- Ahmad, Arslan, et al.
(författare)
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Arsenic reduction to < 1 mu g/L in Dutch drinking water
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 134
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Arsenic (As) is a highly toxic element which naturally occurs in drinking water. In spite of substantial evidence on the association between many illnesses and chronic consumption of As, there is still a considerable uncertainty about the health risks due to low As concentrations in drinking water. In the Netherlands, drinking water companies aim to supply water with As concentration of < 1 mu g/L - a water quality goal which is tenfold more stringent than the current WHO guideline. This paper provides (i) an account on the assessed lung cancer risk for the Dutch population due to pertinent low-level As in drinking water and cost-comparison between health care provision and As removal from water, (ii) an overview of As occurrence and mobility in drinking water sources and water treatment systems in the Netherlands and (iii) insights into As removal methods that have been employed or under investigation to achieve As reduction to < 1 mu g/L at Dutch water treatment plants. Lowering of the average As concentration to < 1 mu g/L in the Netherlands is shown to result in an annual benefit of 7.2-14 M(sic). This study has a global significance for setting drinking water As limits and provision of safe drinking water.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Akesson, Agneta, et al.
(författare)
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Dietary exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and risk of heart failure - A population-based prospective cohort study
- 2019
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 126, s. 1-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Beneficial effects of fish consumption on heart failure (HF) may be modified by contaminants in fish. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are of particular concern as they have been associated with well-established risk factors of HF, but current data are limited. Objectives: We aimed to assess the association between dietary PCB exposure and risk of HF, accounting for dietary intake of long-chain omega-3 fish fatty acids. Design: We used the prospective population-based research structure SIMPLER (previously the Swedish Mammography Cohort and Cohort of Swedish Men) comprising 32,952 women and 36,546 men, free from cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes at baseline in 1997. Validated estimates of dietary PCBs and long-chain omega-3 fish fatty acids [eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] were obtained via a food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Incident cases of HF were ascertained through register linkage. Results: During an average of 12 years of follow-up, we ascertained 2736 and 3128 incident cases of HF in women and men, respectively. In multivariable-adjusted models, mutually adjusted for PCBs and EPA-DHA, the relative risk (RR) for dietary PCB exposure was 1.48 (95% CI 1.12-1.96) in women and 1.42 (95% CI 1.08-1.86) in men, comparing extreme quintiles. Corresponding RRs for EPA-DHA intake were 0.71 (95% CI 0.54-0.93) and 0.82 (95% CI 0.63-1.07), respectively. Conclusions: Dietary exposure to PCBs was associated with an increased risk of HF in both women and men. EPA-DHA intake was associated with a lower risk of HF in women, with a similar tendency in men.
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| 8. |
- Alijagic, Andi, 1992-, et al.
(författare)
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Immunotoxic, genotoxic, and endocrine disrupting impacts of polyamide microplastic particles and chemicals
- 2024
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 183
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to their exceptional properties and cost effectiveness, polyamides or nylons have emerged as widely used materials, revolutionizing diverse industries, including industrial 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM). Powder-based AM technologies employ tonnes of polyamide microplastics to produce complex components every year. However, the lack of comprehensive toxicity assessment of particulate polyamides and polyamide-associated chemicals, especially in the light of the global microplastics crisis, calls for urgent action. This study investigated the physicochemical properties of polyamide-12 microplastics used in AM, and assessed a number of toxicity endpoints focusing on inflammation, immunometabolism, genotoxicity, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation, endocrine disruption, and cell morphology. Specifically, microplastics examination by means of field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed that work flow reuse of material created a fraction of smaller particles with an average size of 1-5 µm, a size range readily available for uptake by human cells. Moreover, chemical analysis by means of gas chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry detected several polyamide-associated chemicals including starting material, plasticizer, thermal stabilizer/antioxidant, and migrating slip additive. Even if polyamide particles and chemicals did not induce an acute inflammatory response, repeated and prolonged exposure of human primary macrophages disclosed a steady increase in the levels of proinflammatory chemokine Interleukin-8 (IL-8/CXCL-8). Moreover, targeted metabolomics disclosed that polyamide particles modulated the kynurenine pathway and some of its key metabolites. The p53-responsive luciferase reporter gene assay showed that particles per se were able to activate p53, being indicative of a genotoxic stress. Polyamide-associated chemicals triggered moderate activation of AhR and elicited anti-androgenic activity. Finally, a high-throughput and non-targeted morphological profiling by Cell Painting assay outlined major sites of bioactivity of polyamide-associated chemicals and indicated putative mechanisms of toxicity in the cells. These findings reveal that the increasing use of polyamide microplastics may pose a potential health risk for the exposed individuals, and it merits more attention.
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| 9. |
- Alijagic, Andi, 1992-, et al.
(författare)
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Metabolic and phenotypic changes induced by PFAS exposure in two human hepatocyte cell models
- 2024
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 190
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PFAS are ubiquitous industrial chemicals with known adverse health effects, particularly on the liver. The liver, being a vital metabolic organ, is susceptible to PFAS-induced metabolic dysregulation, leading to conditions such as hepatotoxicity and metabolic disturbances. In this study, we investigated the phenotypic and metabolic responses of PFAS exposure using two hepatocyte models, HepG2 (male cell line) and HepaRG (female cell line), aiming to define phenotypic alterations, and metabolic disturbances at the metabolite and pathway levels. The PFAS mixture composition was selected based on epidemiological data, covering a broad concentration spectrum observed in diverse human populations. Phenotypic profiling by Cell Painting assay disclosed predominant effects of PFAS exposure on mitochondrial structure and function in both cell models as well as effects on F-actin, Golgi apparatus, and plasma membrane-associated measures. We employed comprehensive metabolic characterization using liquid chromatography combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). We observed dose-dependent changes in the metabolic profiles, particularly in lipid, steroid, amino acid and sugar and carbohydrate metabolism in both cells as well as in cell media, with HepaRG cell line showing a stronger metabolic response. In cells, most of the bile acids, acylcarnitines and free fatty acids showed downregulation, while medium-chain fatty acids and carnosine were upregulated, while the cell media showed different response especially in relation to the bile acids in HepaRG cell media. Importantly, we observed also nonmonotonic response for several phenotypic features and metabolites. On the pathway level, PFAS exposure was also associated with pathways indicating oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Taken together, our findings on PFAS-induced phenotypic and metabolic disruptions in hepatocytes shed light on potential mechanisms contributing to the broader comprehension of PFAS-related health risks.
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| 10. |
- Alijagic, Andi, 1992-, et al.
(författare)
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The triple exposure nexus of microplastic particles, plastic-associated chemicals, and environmental pollutants from a human health perspective
- 2024
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 188
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The presence of microplastics (MPs) is increasing at a dramatic rate globally, posing risks for exposure and subsequent potential adverse effects on human health. Apart from being physical objects, MP particles contain thousands of plastic-associated chemicals (i.e., monomers, chemical additives, and non-intentionally added substances) captured within the polymer matrix. These chemicals are often migrating from MPs and can be found in various environmental matrices and human food chains; increasing the risks for exposure and health effects. In addition to the physical and chemical attributes of MPs, plastic surfaces effectively bind exogenous chemicals, including environmental pollutants (e.g., heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants). Therefore, MPs can act as vectors of environmental pollution across air, drinking water, and food, further amplifying health risks posed by MP exposure. Critically, fragmentation of plastics in the environment increases the risk for interactions with cells, increases the presence of available surfaces to leach plastic-associated chemicals, and adsorb and transfer environmental pollutants. Hence, this review proposes the so-called triple exposure nexus approach to comprehensively map existing knowledge on interconnected health effects of MP particles, plastic-associated chemicals, and environmental pollutants. Based on the available data, there is a large knowledge gap in regard to the interactions and cumulative health effects of the triple exposure nexus. Each component of the triple nexus is known to induce genotoxicity, inflammation, and endocrine disruption, but knowledge about long-term and inter-individual health effects is lacking. Furthermore, MPs are not readily excreted from organisms after ingestion and they have been found accumulated in human blood, cardiac tissue, placenta, etc. Even though the number of studies on MPs-associated health impacts is increasing rapidly, this review underscores that there is a pressing necessity to achieve an integrated assessment of MPs’ effects on human health in order to address existing and future knowledge gaps.
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| 11. |
- Amir Heidari, Payam, 1989, et al.
(författare)
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A state-of-the-art model for spatial and stochastic oil spill risk assessment: A case study of oil spill from a shipwreck
- 2019
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 126, s. 309-320
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Oil spills are serious environmental issues that potentially can cause adverse effects on marine ecosystems. In some marine areas, like the Baltic Sea, there is a large number of wrecks from the first half of the 20th century, and recent monitoring and field work have revealed release of oil from some of these wrecks. The risk posed by a wreck is governed by its condition, hazardous substances contained in the wreck and the state of the surrounding environment. Therefore, there is a need for a common standard method for estimating the risks associated with different wrecks. In this work a state-of-the-art model is presented for spatial and stochastic risk assessment of oil spills from wrecks, enabling a structured approach to include the complex factors affecting the risk values. A unique feature of this model is its specific focus on uncertainty, facilitating probabilistic calculation of the total risk as the integral expected sum of many possible consequences. A case study is performed in Kattegat at the entrance region to the Baltic Sea to map the risk from a wreck near Sweden. The developed model can be used for oil spill risk assessment in the marine environment all over the world.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Aro, Rudolf, 1992-, et al.
(författare)
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Extractable organofluorine analysis: A way to screen for elevated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance contamination in humans?
- 2022
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 159
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ubiquitous occurrence of a few per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in humans and the environment has been previously reported. However, the number of PFAS humans and the environment are potentially exposed to is much higher, making it difficult to investigate every sample in detail. More importantly, recent studies have shown an increasing fraction of potentially unknown PFAS in human samples. A screening tool for identifying samples of concern that may contain high PFAS levels, to be studied more thoroughly, is needed. This study presents a simplified workflow to detect elevated PFAS levels using extractable organofluorine (EOF) analysis. A fluorine mass balance analysis on samples with high EOF, targeting 63 PFAS, can then confirm the PFAS contamination. Whole blood samples from a cohort of individuals with historical drinking water contamination from firefighting foams (n = 20) in Ronneby (Sweden) and a control group (n = 9) with background exposure were used as a case study. The average EOF concentration in the Ronneby group was 234 ng/ mL F (<107-592 ng/mL F) vs 24.8 ng/mL F (17.6-37.8 ng/mL F) in the control group. The large difference (statistically significant, p < 0.05) in the EOF levels between the exposed and control groups would have made it possible to identify samples with high PFAS exposure only using EOF data. This was confirmed by target analysis, which found an average n-ary sumation PFAS concentration of 346 ng/mL in the exposed group and 7.9 ng/mL in the control group. The limit of quantification for EOF analysis (up to 107 ng/mL F using 0.5 mL whole blood) did not allow for the detection of PFAS levels in low or sub parts per billion (ng/mL) concentrations, but the results indicate that EOF analysis is a suitable screening method sensitive enough to detect elevated/significant/exposure above background levels by known or unknown PFAS.
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| 14. |
- Augustsson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing the risk of an excess fluoride intake among Swedish children in households with private wells : Expanding static single-source methods to a probabilistic multi-exposure-pathway approach
- 2014
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 68, s. 192-199
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is often assumed that water consumption is the major route of exposure for fluoride and analysis of water fluoride content is the most common approach for ensuring that the daily intake is not too high. In the present study, the risk of excess intake was characterized for children in households with private wells in Kalmar County, Sweden, where the natural geology shows local enrichments in fluorine. By comparing water concentrations with the WHO drinking water guideline (1.5 mg/L), it was found that 24% of the ca. 4800 sampled wells had a concentration above this limit, hence providing a figure for the number of children in the households concerned assessed to be at risk using this straightforward approach. The risk of an excess intake could, alternatively, also be characterized based on a tolerable daily intake (in this case the US EPA RfD of 0.06 mg/kg-day). The exposure to be evaluated was calculated using a probabilistic approach, where the variability in all exposure factors was considered, again for the same study population. The proportion of children assessed to be at risk after exposure from drinking water now increased to 48%, and when the probabilistic model was adjusted to also include other possible exposure pathways; beverages and food, ingestion of toothpaste, oral soil intake and dust inhalation, the number increased to 77%. Firstly, these results show how the risk characterization is affected by the basis of comparison. In this example, both of the reference values used are widely acknowledged. Secondly, it illustrates how much of the total exposure may be overlooked when only focusing on one exposure pathway, and thirdly, it shows the importance of considering the variability in all relevant pathways.
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| 15. |
- Augustsson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Challenges in assessing the health risks of consuming vegetables in metal-contaminated environments
- 2018
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 113, s. 269-280
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A great deal of research has been devoted to the characterization of metal exposure due to the consumption of vegetables from urban or industrialized areas. It may seem comforting that concentrations in crops, as well as estimated exposure levels, are often found to be below permissible limits. However, we show that even a moderate increase in metal accumulation in crops may result in a significant increase in exposure. We also highlight the importance of assessing exposure levels in relation to a regional baseline. We have analyzed metal (Pb, Cd, As) concentrations in nearly 700 samples from 23 different vegetables, fruits, berries and mushrooms, collected near 21 highly contaminated industrial sites and from reference sites. Metal concentrations generally complied with permissible levels in commercial food and only Pb showed overall higher concentrations around the contaminated sites. Nevertheless, probabilistic exposure assessments revealed that the exposure to all three metals was significantly higher in the population residing around the contaminated sites, for both low-, medianand high consumers. The exposure was about twice as high for Pb and Cd, and four to six times as high for As. Since vegetable consumption alone did not result in exposure above tolerable intakes, it would have been easy to conclude that there is no risk associated with consuming vegetables grown near the contaminated sites. However, when the increase in exposure is quantified, its potential significance is harder to dismiss - especially when considering that exposure via other routes may be elevated in a similar way.
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| 16. |
- Ax, Erika, et al.
(författare)
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Circulating levels of environmental contaminants are associated with dietary patterns in older adults
- 2015
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Ingår i: Environment International. - Oxford, United Kingdom : Elsevier. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 75, s. 93-102
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Food intake contributes substantially to our exposure to environmental contaminants. Still, little is known about our dietary habits' contribution to exposure variability.Objective: The aim of this study was to assess circulating levels of environmental contaminants in relation to predefined dietary patterns in an elderly Swedish population.Methods: Dietary data and serum concentrations of environmental contaminants were obtained from 844 70-year-old Swedish subjects (50% women) in the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study. Dietary data from 7-day food records was used to assess adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet, a low carbohydrate-high protein diet and the WHO dietary recommendations. Circulating levels of 6 polychlorinated biphenyl markers, 3 organochlorine pesticides, 1 dioxin and 1 polybrominated diphenyl ether, the metals cadmium, lead, mercury and aluminum and serum levels of bisphenol A and 4 phthalate metabolites were investigated in relation to dietary patterns in multivariate linear regression models.Results: A Mediterranean-like diet was positively associated with levels of several polychlorinated biphenyls (118, 126, 153, and 209), trans-nonachlor and mercury. A low carbohydrate-high protein diet was positively associated with polychlorinated biphenyls 118 and 153, trans-nonachlor, hexachlorobenzene and p, p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, mercury and lead. The WHO recommended diet was negatively related to levels of dioxin and lead, and borderline positively to polychlorinated biphenyl 118 and trans-nonachlor.Conclusion: Dietary patterns were associated in diverse manners with circulating levels of environmental contaminants in this elderly Swedish population. Following the WHO dietary recommendations seems to be associated with a lower burden of environmental contaminants.
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| 17. |
- Axelsson, Jonatan, et al.
(författare)
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Phthalate exposure and reproductive parameters in young men from the general Swedish population.
- 2015
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-6750 .- 0160-4120. ; 85, s. 54-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In animals, exposure to certain phthalates negatively affects the male reproductive function. Human results are conflicting and mostly based on subfertile males, in whom the association between exposure and reproductive function may differ from the general population.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Bahram, Mohammad
(författare)
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A global overview of the trophic structure within microbiomes across ecosystems
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 151
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The colossal project of mapping the microbiome on Earth is rapidly advancing, with a focus on individual microbial groups. However, a global assessment of the associations between predatory protists and their bacterial prey is still missing at a cross-ecosystem level. This knowledge is critical to better understand the importance of top-down links in structuring microbiomes. Here, we examined 38 sequence-based datasets of paired bacterial and protistan taxa, covering 3,178 samples from diverse habitats including freshwater, marine and soils. We show that community profiles of protists and bacteria strongly correlated across and within habitats, with trophic microbiome structures fundamentally differing across habitats. Soils hosted the most heterogenous and diverse microbiomes. Protist communities were dominated by predators in soils and phototrophs in aquatic environments. This led to changes in the ratio of total protists to bacteria richness, which was highest in marine, while that of predatory protists to bacteria was highest in soils. Taxon richness and relative abundance of predatory protists positively correlated with bacterial richness in marine habitats. These links differed between soils, predatory protist richness and the relative abundance of predatory protists positively correlated with bacterial richness in forest and grassland soils, but not in agricultural soils. Our results suggested that anthropogenic pressure affects higher trophic levels more than lower ones leading to a decoupled trophic structure in micro biomes. Together, our cumulative overview of microbiome patterns of bacteria and protists at the global scale revealed major patterns and differences of the trophic structure of microbiomes across Earth?s habitats, and show that anthropogenic factors might have negative effects on the trophic structure within microbiomes. Furthermore, the increased impact of anthropogenic factors on especially higher trophic levels suggests that often observed reduced ecosystem functions in anthropogenic systems might be partly attributed to a reduction of trophic complexity.
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| 21. |
- Balducci, Catia, et al.
(författare)
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Cocaine and cannabinoids in the atmosphere of Northern Europe cities, comparison with Southern Europe and wastewater analysis
- 2016
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 97, s. 187-194
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study reports the first investigation of atmospheric illicit drug concentrations in Northern Europe usingmeasurements of cocaine and cannabinoids in Amsterdam, London and Stockholm. Further, these measurements were compared to those made in Rome to explore the geographical and inter-city variability. Co-located measurements of atmospheric particulate mass and PAHs were used to help describe and interpret the illicit drug measurements with respect to atmospheric dispersion. Cocaine concentrations ranged from 0.03 to 0.14 ng/m(3) in Amsterdam, from 0.02 to 0.33 ng/m(3) in London and were below quantification limit (3pg/m(3)) in Stockholm. Cannabinol was the only cannabinoidmolecule detected in the three cities. During this campaign, London reported the highest concentrations of cocaine and meaningful differences were detected between the urban background and city centre London sites. Mean cocaine concentrations measured in Amsterdam during March 2011 were also compared with those measured simultaneously in eight Italian cities. The cocaine concentration inAmsterdamwas comparable to that measured at an urban background inMilan and at a densely populated site in Florence. Although correlating atmospheric concentrations directlywith drug prevalence is not possible using current data, links between concentrations of cocaine and estimates of abuse prevalence assessed by the more routinely usedwastewater analysiswere also examined. A statistically significant correlationwas found between the two sets of data (R-2= 0.66; p= 0.00131). Results confirmed that meteorology, population rate and habits of consumption influence the atmospheric concentrations of drugs. If these confounding factors were better controlled for, the techniques described here could became an easy and cost effective tool to index the impact of cocaine abuse in the area; especially where local hot spots need to be identified.
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| 22. |
- Banjop-Kharlygdoh, Joubert, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Identification of a group of brominated flame retardants as novel androgen receptor antagonists and potential neuronal and endocrine disrupters
- 2015
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 74, s. 60-70
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Brominated flame-retardants (BFRs) are used in industrial products to reduce the risk of fire. However, their continuous release into the environment is a concern as they are often persistent, bioaccumulating and toxic. Information on the impact these compounds have on human health and wildlife is limited and only a few of them have been identified to disrupt hormone receptor functions. In the present study we used in silico modeling to determine the interactions of selected BFRs with the human androgen receptor (AR). Three compounds were found to dock into the ligand-binding domain of the human AR and these were further tested using in vitro analysis. Allyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (ATE), 2-bromoallyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (BATE) and 2,3-dibromopropyl-2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (DPTE) were observed to act as AR antagonists. These BFRs have recently been detected in the environment, in house dust and in aquatic animals. The compounds have been detected at high concentrations in both blubber and brain of seals and we therefore also assessed their impact on the expression of L-type amino acid transporter system (LAT) genes, that are needed for amino acid uptake across the blood-brain barrier, as disruption of LAT gene function has been implicated in several brain disorders. The three BFRs down-regulated the expression of AR target genes that encode for prostate specific antigen (PSA), 5. α-reductases and β-microseminoprotein. The potency of PSA inhibition was of the same magnitude as the common prostate cancer drugs, demonstrating that these compounds are strong AR antagonists. Western blot analysis of AR protein showed that ATE, BATE and DPTE decreased the 5. α-dihydrotestosterone-induced AR protein levels, further confirming that these BFRs act as AR antagonists. The transcription of the LAT genes was altered by the three BFRs, indicating an effect on amino-acid uptake across cellular membranes and blood-brain barrier. This study demonstrated that ATE, BATE and DPTE are potent AR antagonists and the alterations in LAT gene transcription suggest that these compounds can affect neuronal functions and should be considered as potential neurotoxic and endocrine disrupting compounds.
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
- Barouki, Robert, et al.
(författare)
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The COVID-19 pandemic and global environmental change : Emerging research needs
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 146
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The outbreak of COVID-19 raised numerous questions on the interactions between the occurrence of new infections, the environment, climate and health. The European Union requested the H2020 HERA project which aims at setting priorities in research on environment, climate and health, to identify relevant research needs regarding Covid-19. The emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 appears to be related to urbanization, habitat destruction, live animal trade, intensive livestock farming and global travel. The contribution of climate and air pollution requires additional studies. Importantly, the severity of COVID-19 depends on the interactions between the viral infection, ageing and chronic diseases such as metabolic, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and obesity which are themselves influenced by environmental stressors. The mechanisms of these interactions deserve additional scrutiny. Both the pandemic and the social response to the disease have elicited an array of behavioural and societal changes that may remain long after the pandemic and that may have long term health effects including on mental health. Recovery plans are currently being discussed or implemented and the environmental and health impacts of those plans are not clearly foreseen. Clearly, COVID-19 will have a longlasting impact on the environmental health field and will open new research perspectives and policy needs.
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| 25. |
- Bengtsson-Palme, Johan, 1985, et al.
(författare)
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Concentrations of antibiotics predicted to select for resistant bacteria: Proposed limits for environmental regulation
- 2016
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 86, s. 140-149
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There are concerns that selection pressure from antibiotics in the environment may accelerate the evolution and dissemination of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Nevertheless, there is currently no regulatory system that takes such risks into account. In part, this is due to limited knowledge of environmental concentrations that might exert selection for resistant bacteria. To experimentally determine minimal selective concentrations in complex microbial ecosystems for all antibiotics would involve considerable effort. In this work, our aim was to estimate upper boundaries for selective concentrations for all common antibiotics, based on the assumption that selective concentrations a priori need to be lower than those completely inhibiting growth. Data on Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) were obtained for 111 antibiotics from the public EUCAST database. The 1% lowest observed MICs were identified, and to compensate for limited species coverage, predicted lowest MICs adjusted for the number of tested species were extrapolated through modeling. Predicted No Effect Concentrations (PNECs) for resistance selection were then assessed using an assessment factor of 10 to account for differences between MICs and minimal selective concentrations. The resulting PNECs ranged from 8 ng/L to 64 μg/L. Furthermore, the link between taxonomic similarity between species and lowest MIC was weak. This work provides estimated upper boundaries for selective concentrations (lowest MICs) and PNECs for resistance selection for all common antibiotics. In most cases, PNECs for selection of resistance were below available PNECs for ecotoxicological effects. The generated PNECs can guide implementation of compound-specific emission limits that take into account risks for resistance promotion.
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