Search Results (14)

Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) is widely present in raw materials for food and feedstock, posing a significant threat to the health of humans and animals. This study explored the toxicokinetics of a single oral administration of AFB₁ at a dose of 100 µg·kg⁻¹ BW (body weight). Donkey blood samples were gathered at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, and 60 min and at 1.5 h, 2 h, 2.5 h, 3 h, 3.5 h, 4 h, 4.5 h, 6 h, 9 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, and 120 h through jugular vein sampling needles at intervals. Fecal and urinary samples were collected at 0 h and every 6 h thereafter until 120 h. The concentrations of AFB₁ and AFM₁ in plasma, urine, and feces were quantitatively analyzed using LC-MS/MS. The maximum concentrations of AFB₁ and AFM₁ in plasma were 13.10 ± 6.35 µg·L⁻¹ and 0.72 ± 0.33 µg·L⁻¹, occurring at 1.38 ± 0.89 h and 2.25 ± 1.57 h after oral administration, respectively. The AFB₁ and AFM₁ elimination half-lives (T_1/2Elim) were 6.65 ± 2.84 h and 5.85 ± 3.00 h, respectively. The total clearances (CL) of AFB₁ and AFM₁ were 163 ± 52.2 L·kg⁻¹ BW⁻¹·h⁻¹ and 3210 ± 2450 L·kg⁻¹ BW⁻¹·h⁻¹, and the volumes of distribution (Vd) for AFB₁ were 1440 ± 417 L·kg⁻¹·BW and 22,400 ± 14,800 L·kg⁻¹·BW, respectively. In addition, the total amounts of AFB₁ and AFM₁ excreted over 120 h through urine and feces accounted for 3.38 ± 0.92% and 3.44 ± 1.45% of the total intake, respectively (calculated by material mass). Furthermore, the research showed that the absorption and metabolism of AFB₁ were rapid in male donkeys, with the tissue exhibiting a wide distribution and long duration. Full article

Temephos is an organophosphorus pesticide widely used as a larvicide in public health campaigns to control vector-borne diseases. Data on the urinary elimination of temephos metabolites are limited, and there is no validated biomarker of exposure for its evaluation. This study aimed to determine the urinary excretion kinetics of temephos and its metabolites in adult male rats. Hence, adult male Wistar rats were administered orally with a single dose of temephos (300 mg/kg). Urine samples were collected at different time intervals after dosing and enzymatically hydrolyzed using β-glucuronidase/sulfatase from H. pomatia. The metabolites were extracted and analyzed by HPLC-DAD. The metabolites detected were 4,4′-thiodiphenol (TDP), 4,4′-sulfinyldiphenol (SIDP), 4,4′-sulfonyldiphenol (SODP), or bisphenol S (BPS), a non-identified metabolite, and only traces of the parent compound. The mean urine concentrations of metabolites were used for kinetic analysis. Urinary levels of TDP were fitted to a two-compartmental model, and its half-lives (t_1/2 Elim-U) were 27.8 and 272.1 h for the first and second phases, respectively. The t_1/2 Elim-U of BPS was 17.7 h. TDP, the main metabolite of temephos, was eliminated by urine and is specific and stable. Therefore, it may be used as a biomarker of temephos exposure. Full article

Globally, waterborne viral infections significantly threaten public health. While current European Union regulations stipulate that drinking water must be devoid of harmful pathogens, they do not specifically address the presence of enteric viruses in water used for irrigation or food production. Traditional virus detection methods rely on molecular biology assays, requiring specialized personnel and laboratory facilities. Here, we describe an electrochemical sandwich enzyme-linked immunomagnetic assay (ELIME) for the detection of the hepatitis A virus (HAV) in water matrices. This method employed screen-printed electrodes as the sensing platform and utilized commercially available pre-activated magnetic beads to provide a robust foundation for the immunological reaction. The ELIME assay demonstrated exceptional analytical performance in only 185 min achieving a detection limit of 0.5 genomic copies per milliliter (g.c./mL) and exhibiting good reproducibility with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 7% in HAV-spiked drinking and processing water samples. Compared with the real-time RT-qPCR method described in ISO 15216-1, the ELIME assay demonstrated higher sensitivity, although the overall linearity of the method was moderate. These analytical attributes highlight the potential of the ELIME assay as a rapid and viable alternative for HAV detection in water used for agriculture and food processing. Full article

We study the interrelations between salt karst and landscape evolution at the Ze’elim and Hever alluvial fans, Dead Sea (DS), Israel, in an attempt to characterize the ongoing surface and subsurface processes and identify future trends. Using light detection and ranging, interferometric synthetic aperture radar, drone photography, time-lapse cameras, and direct measurements of floodwater levels, we document floodwater recharge through riverbed sinkholes, subsurface salt dissolution, groundwater flow, and brine discharge at shoreline sinkholes during the years 2011–2023. At the Ze’elim fan, most of the surface floodwater drains into streambed sinkholes and discharges at shoreline sinkholes, whereas at the Hever fan, only a small fraction of the floodwater drains into sinkholes, while the majority flows downstream to the DS. This difference is attributed to the low-gradient stream profiles in Ze’elim, which enable water accumulation and recharge in sinkholes and their surrounding depressions, in contrast with the higher-gradient Hever profiles, which yield high-energy floods capable of carrying coarse gravel that eventually fill the sinkholes. The rapid drainage of floodwater into sinkholes also involves slope failure due to pore-pressure drop and cohesion loss within hours after each drainage event. Surface subsidence lineaments detected by InSAR indicate the presence of subsurface dissolution channels between recharge and discharge sites in the two fans and in the nearby Lynch straits. Subsidence and streambed sinkholes occur in most other fans and streams that flow to the DS; however, with the exception of Ze’elim, all other streams show only minor or no recharge along their course. This is due to either the high-gradient profiles, the gravelly sediments, the limited floods, or the lack of conditions for sinkhole development in the other streambeds. Thus, understanding the factors that govern the flood-related karst formation is of great importance for predicting landscape evolution in the DS region and elsewhere and for sinkhole hazard assessment. Full article

ELIMED has been developed and installed at ELI beamlines as a part of the ELIMAIA beamline to transport, monitor, and use laser-driven ion beams suitable for multidisciplinary applications, including biomedical ones. This paper aims to investigate the feasibility to perform radiobiological experiments using laser-accelerated proton beams with intermediate energies (up to 30 MeV). To reach this goal, we simulate a proton source based on experimental data like the ones expected to be available in the first phase of ELIMED commissioning by using the G4-ELIMED application (an application based on the Geant4 toolkit that simulates the full ELIMED beamline). This allows the study of transmission efficiency and the final characteristics of the proton beam at the sample irradiation point. The Energy Selector System is used as an active energy modulator to obtain the desired beam features in a relatively short irradiation time (around 6 min). Furthermore, we demonstrate the capability of the beamline to filter out other ion contaminants, typically co-accelerated in a laser-plasma environment. These results can be considered as a detailed feasibility study for the use of ELIMED for various user applications such as radiobiological experiments with ultrahigh dose rate proton beams. Full article

One of the ultimate goals of plant breeding is the development of new crop cultivars capable of withstanding increasing environmental stresses, to sustain the constantly growing population and economic demands. Investigating the chemical composition of the above and underground tissues of cultivars is crucial for the understanding of common and specific traits thereof. Using an untargeted metabolomics approach together with appropriate chemometrics tools, the differential metabolite profiles of leaf and root extracts from five cultivars of barley (‘Erica’, ‘Elim’, ‘Hessekwa’, ‘S16’ and ‘Agulhas’) were explored and potential signatory biomarkers were revealed. The study was conducted on seedlings grown for 21 days under identical controlled conditions. An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) was employed to analyse hydromethanolic leaf and root extracts of barley cultivars. Furthermore, unsupervised and supervised learning algorithms were applied to mine the generated data and to pinpoint cultivar-specific metabolites. Among all the classes of metabolites annotated, phenolic acids and derivatives formed the largest group and also represented the most discriminatory metabolites. In roots, saponarin, an important allelochemical differentially distributed across cultivars, was the only flavonoid annotated. The application of an untargeted metabolomics approach in phenotyping grain crops such as barley was demonstrated, and the metabolites responsible for differentiating between the selected cultivars were revealed. The study provides insights into the chemical architecture of barley, an agro-economically relevant cereal crop; and reiterates the importance of metabolomics tools in plant breeding practices for crop improvement. Full article

The coexistence of nature and anthropogenic development requires continuous monitoring and research to address and respond to unforeseen threatening processes that occur with time. This is particularly relevant to the groundwater flow regime in the coastal aquifer adjacent to the Dead Sea, the level of which is dropping, and the industrial evaporation ponds, whose levels are rising. The increasing hydraulic gradient between the two water bodies has produced severe leakage through the pond embankments. To prevent this leakage, a vertical deep sealing wall was built along the embankment. In this study, the overall leakage is calculated by mass balance, and the subsurface leakage component is numerically simulated, based on the mass balance and hydrological observations. Some of the leakage discharges into surface canals and some at the Dead Sea. The leakage volume increased from 20 mcm/year in the 1980s to 100 mcm/year before the sealing wall was built (in 2012), and from 60 mcm/year once the wall was established to 80 mcm/year today. Using the calibrated model, the leakage volume is predicted to increase in the next few decades, mainly through the Ye’elim alluvial fan. Further research effort is needed to come up with new preventive measures. Full article

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease that attacks the central nervous system. Evidence-based dietary guidelines do not exist for MS; the default advice is to follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). A modified Paleolithic Wahls Elimination (WahlsElim) diet promoted for MS excludes grains and dairy and encourages 9+ cups fruits and vegetables (F/V) and saturated fat for cooking. This study evaluated the nutritional adequacy of seven-day menus and modeled them with varying amounts of F/V for comparison with the DGA Healthy US-Style Eating Pattern (HEP) for ages 31–50 years. WahlsElim menus had low added sugar and glycemic index. Nutritional adequacy of the menus and modeled versions were similar to HEP for 17 vitamins and minerals (mean adequacy ratio ≥92%). Nutrient shortfalls for the modeled diet with 60% F/V were identical to HEP for vitamin D, iron (females), magnesium (marginally males), choline and potassium; this modeled diet was also low in dietary fiber and calcium but met vitamin E requirements while HEP did not. WahlsElim-prescribed supplements corrected vitamin D and magnesium shortfalls; careful selection of foods are needed to meet requirements of other shortfall nutrients and reduce saturated fat and sodium. Doctors should monitor nutritional status, supplement doses, and possible contraindications to high vitamin K intake in individuals following the WahlsElim diet. Full article

The precise etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) is unknown but epidemiologic evidence suggests this immune-mediated, neurodegenerative condition is the result of a complex interaction between genes and lifetime environmental exposures. Diet choices are modifiable environmental factors that may influence MS disease activity. Two diets promoted for MS, low saturated fat Swank and modified Paleolithic Wahls Elimination (WahlsElim), are currently being investigated for their effect on MS-related fatigue and quality of life (NCT02914964). Dr. Swank theorized restriction of saturated fat would reduce vascular dysfunction in the central nervous system (CNS). Dr. Wahls initially theorized that detailed guidance to increase intake of specific foodstuffs would facilitate increased intake of nutrients key to neuronal health (Wahls™ diet). Dr. Wahls further theorized restriction of lectins would reduce intestinal permeability and CNS inflammation (WahlsElim version). The purpose of this paper is to review the published research of the low saturated fat (Swank) and the modified Paleolithic (Wahls™) diets and the rationale for the structure of the Swank diet and low lectin version of the Wahls™ diet (WahlsElim) being investigated in the clinical trial. Full article

Uganda is one of the poorest nations in the world. It is important to obtain accurate, timely data on socio-economic characteristics sub-nationally, so as to target poverty reduction strategies to those most in need. Many studies have demonstrated that nighttime lights (NTL) can be used to measure human activities. Nevertheless, the methods developed from these studies (1) suffer from coarse resolutions, (2) fail to capture the nonlinearity and multi-scale variability of geospatial data, and (3) perform poorly for agriculture-dependent regions. This study proposes a new enhanced light intensity model (ELIM) to estimate the gross domestic product (GDP) for sub-national units within Uganda. This model is developed by combining the NTL data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS), the population data from the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL), and information on agricultural production and market prices across several commodity types. This resulted in a gridded dataset for Uganda’s GDP at sub-national levels, to capture the spatial heterogeneity in the economic activity. Full article

The main direction proposed by the community of experts in the field of laser-driven ion acceleration is to improve particle beam features (maximum energy, charge, emittance, divergence, monochromaticity, shot-to-shot stability) in order to demonstrate reliable and compact approaches to be used for multidisciplinary applications, thus, in principle, reducing the overall cost of a laser-based facility compared to a conventional accelerator one and, at the same time, demonstrating innovative and more effective sample irradiation geometries. The mission of the laser-driven ion target area at ELI-Beamlines (Extreme Light Infrastructure) in Dolní Břežany, Czech Republic, called ELI Multidisciplinary Applications of laser-Ion Acceleration (ELIMAIA) , is to provide stable, fully characterized and tuneable beams of particles accelerated by Petawatt-class lasers and to offer them to the user community for multidisciplinary applications. The ELIMAIA beamline has been designed and developed at the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic (IoP-ASCR) in Prague and at the National Laboratories of Southern Italy of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (LNS-INFN) in Catania (Italy). An international scientific network particularly interested in future applications of laser driven ions for hadrontherapy, ELI MEDical applications (ELIMED), has been established around the implementation of the ELIMAIA experimental system. The basic technology used for ELIMAIA research and development, along with envisioned parameters of such user beamline will be described and discussed. Full article

The life and work of the Welsh evangelist George Jeffreys resulted in the planting of two denominations in the UK between 1915 and 1962, when he died. The Elim churches continue to this day to be one of the larger classical Pentecostal denominations in the UK, while the Bible Pattern Fellowship dispersed on Jeffreys’ death. The disputes that led to Jeffreys’ departure from Elim were said to have arisen from his adherence to British Israel doctrine, though his supporters believed they arose from his championing of local church ownership and democracy. This paper considers sociological and other reasons for Jeffreys’ remarkable success in the interwar years and his eventual departure from a denomination he founded. It concludes by reflecting on topics (such as the importance of debate and law) that have relevance for contemporary Pentecostalism. Full article

The deterioration of water quality in our freshwater sources is on the increase worldwide and, in South Africa, mostly due to the discharge of municipal sewage effluent. Here we report on the use of principal component analysis, coupled with factor and cluster analysis, to study the similarities and differences between upstream and downstream sampling sites that are downstream of municipal sewage plants. The contribution of climatic variables, air temperature, humidity, and rainfall were also evaluated with respect to variations in water quality at the sampling sites. The physicochemical and microbial values were higher than the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The cluster analysis showed the presence of two clusters for each of the Mvudi, Dzindi, and Luvuvhu Rivers and Nandoni reservoir sampling sites. The principal component analysis (PCA) accounted for 40% of the water quality variation and was associated strongly with pH, electrical conductivity, calcium, magnesium, chloride, bromide, nitrate, and total coliform, and negatively with rainfall, which represented Mvudi downstream and was attributed to the Thohoyandou sewage plant. The PCA accounted for 54% of the variation and was associated strongly with electrical conductivity, sulfate; total dissolved solids, fluoride, turbidity, nitrate, manganese, alkalinity, magnesium, and total coliform represented Dzindi downstream, with inflows from the Vuwani sewage plant and agriculture. The PCA accounted for 30% of the variation and was associated strongly with total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, magnesium, fluoride, nitrate, sulfate, total coliform average air temperature, and total rainfall, and negatively associated with manganese and bromide represented Luvuvhu upstream and was associated with commercial agriculture. The PCA accounted for 21% of the variation and was associated strongly with turbidity, alkalinity, magnesium, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, and strongly negatively associated with rainfall, which represented Luvuvhu downstream, associated with inflows from Vuwani oxidation ponds, Elim and Waterval sewage plants, and agriculture. The PCA accounted for 14% of the variation and was moderately associated with rainfall and weakly associated with chloride and bromide and negatively associated with nitrate, which represented the natural Nandoni reservoir system. The continued discharge of effluent may render the raw water supply unsuitable for human consumption and lead to eutrophication due to nitrate enrichment and proliferation of harmful algal blooms and schistomiasis infections in the long term. Full article

Charged particle acceleration using ultra-intense and ultra-short laser pulses has gathered a strong interest in the scientific community and it is now one of the most attractive topics in the relativistic laser-plasma interaction research. Indeed, it could represent the future of particle acceleration and open new scenarios in multidisciplinary fields, in particular, medical applications. One of the biggest challenges consists of using, in a future perspective, high intensity laser-target interaction to generate high-energy ions for therapeutic purposes, eventually replacing the old paradigm of acceleration, characterized by huge and complex machines. The peculiarities of laser-driven beams led to develop new strategies and advanced techniques for transport, diagnostics and dosimetry of the accelerated particles, due to the wide energy spread, the angular divergence and the extremely intense pulses. In this framework, the realization of the ELIMED (ELI-Beamlines MEDical applications) beamline, developed by INFN-LNS (Catania, Italy) and installed in 2017 as a part of the ELIMAIA beamline at the ELI-Beamlines (Extreme Light Infrastructure Beamlines) facility in Prague, has the aim to investigate the feasibility of using laser-driven ion beams in multidisciplinary applications. ELIMED will represent the first user’s open transport beam line where a controlled laser-driven ion beam will be used for multidisciplinary and medical studies. In this paper, an overview of the beamline, with a detailed description of the main transport elements, will be presented. Moreover, a description of the detectors dedicated to diagnostics and dosimetry will be reported, with some preliminary results obtained both with accelerator-driven and laser-driven beams. Full article