The Microtox Acute Toxicity Test has been successfully used to measure the toxicity of metals and other pollutants at high concentrations (ppm) in selected environmental samples. However, metals and other toxicants are often found in much lower concentrations (ppb) in many municipal wastewaters and receiving waters. In order to assess the toxicity of these pollutants in these samples, a more se...

Cobalt sulfate hydrate, gallium arsenide, molybdenum trioxide, vanadium pentoxide, and nickel sulfate heptahydrate were tested in the Syrian hamster embryo (SHE) assay in order to increase the SHE assay database for heavy metals. All five compounds produced significant morphological transformation at one or more doses in a dose-responsive manner. Cobalt sulfate hydrate, gallium arsenide, molybd...

An inverse relationship between the concentration of ribose 5-phosphate and apparent ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase activity was observed. The Lilley-Walker assay spectrophotometric assay, in which the 3-phosphoglyceric acid-dependent oxidation of reduced pyridine nucleotide is measured, is shown to be highly sensitive to inhibition by heavy metals. Analysis of the purity of reagents showed ...

This is a very well conducted study, which shows novel findings about the role of metals in oxidative properties of ambient aerosols. The manuscript provides evidence that the DTT assay used as a measure of PM oxidative potential is not a “one species” (e.g. quinone) driven method, which it was used to be considered in research community, but rather involves multiple species. However, based on ...

BACKGROUND Cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) are common environmental contaminants that have been associated with lower birthweight. Although some essential metals may mitigate exposure, data are inconsistent. This study sought to evaluate the relationship between toxic metals, nutrient combinations and birthweight among 275 mother-child pairs. METHODS Non-essential metals, Cd, Pb, As,...

Metal sensitivity, as measured by an in-vitro assay on peripheral blood lymphocytes, was evaluated in patients with failed joint prostheses. Lymphocyte transformation to chromium, cobalt, and nickel was measured in 24 patients having revision surgery for a painful or loose prosthesis and compared with that in 11 patients who had a successful hip prothesis in situ for at least 2 years previously...

In this work studies on rapid inhibitory interactions between heavy metals and photosynthetic materials at different organization levels were carried out by optical assay techniques, investigating the possibility of applications in the heavy metal detection field. Spinach chloroplasts, thylakoids and Photosystem II proteins were employed as biotools in combination with colorimetric assays based...

Leaching using EDTA applied to a Pb, Zn and Cd polluted soil significantly reduced soil metal concentrations and the pool of metals in labile soil fractions. Metal mobility (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure), phytoavailability (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid extraction) and human oral-bioavailability (Physiologically Based Extraction Test) were reduced by 85-92%, 68-91% and 88-95%...

BACKGROUND The biological mechanisms by which environmental metals are associated with birth defects are largely unknown. Systems biology-based approaches may help to identify key pathways that mediate metal-induced birth defects as well as potential targets for prevention. OBJECTIVES First, we applied a novel computational approach to identify a prioritized biological pathway that associates...

Nitrification is the most sensitive part in the biologic nutrient removal of wastewaters, since the growth rate of nitrifying microorganisms is very lower and strongly dependent on temperature, substrate concentration, oxygen content, pH, and the presence of inhibiting components. This review addresses the nitrification inhibition by heavy metals. This inhibition can be quantified by different ...