Analysis of 17-beta-estradiol and 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol in biological and environmental matrices - A review

The estrogens 17-beta-estradiol (E2) and 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2) are reported as highly endocrine-disrupting agents, being recently included in an EU watch list regarding emerging aquatic pollutants. Therefore, the monitoring of these chemicals in the different environmental compartments assumes great importance. Moreover, due to the possible adverse effects on living beings, their occurrence on animal tissues and fluids must also be addressed. In recent years, a significant number of...

Multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from indoor air of an urban wastewater treatment plant

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been recognized as sources of bioaerosols that may act as vehicles for dissemination of pathogens and multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. The occurrence of MDR Enterobacteriaceae in indoor air of an urban WWTP was investigated. A possible airborne contamination with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae was also explored. Fourteen of 39 Enterobacteriaceae isolates were MDR. These isolates were found at a...

Photocatalytic ozonation of urban wastewater and surface water using immobilized TiO2 with LEDs: Micropollutants, antibiotic resistance genes and estrogenic activity

Photocatalytic ozonation was employed for the first time in continuous mode with TiO2-coated glass Raschig rings and light emitting diodes (LEDs) to treat urban wastewater as well as surface water collected from the supply area of a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP). Different levels of contamination and types of contaminants were considered in this work, including chemical priority substances (PSs) and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), as well as potential human opportunistic anti...

Sodium salicylate prevents paraquat-induced apoptosis in the rat lung

The nonselective contact herbicide, paraquat (PQ), is a strong pneumotoxicant, especially due to its accumulation in the lung through a polyamine uptake system and to its capacity to induce redox cycling, leading to oxidative stress-related damage. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the occurrence of apoptotic events in the lungs of male Wistar rats, 24, 48, and 96 h after PQ exposure (25 mg/kg ip) as well as the putative healing effects provided by sodium salicylate [(NaSAL), 200 ...