In the last few decades, pharmaceuticals, credited with saving millions of lives, have emerged as a new class of environmental contaminant. These compounds can have both chronic and acute harmful effects on natural flora and fauna. The presence of pharmaceutical contaminants in ground waters, surface waters (lakes, rivers, and streams), sea water, wastewater treatment plants (influents and effluents), soils, and sludges has been well doccumented. A range of methods including oxidation, photolysis, UV-degradation, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, and adsorption has been used for their remediation from aqueous systems. Many methods have been commercially limited by toxic sludge generation, incomplete removal, high capital and operating costs, and the need for skilled operating and maintenance personnel. Adsorption technologies are a low-cost alternative, easily used in developing countries where there is a dearth of advanced technologies, skilled personnel, and available capital, and adsorption appears to be the most broadly feasible pharmaceutical removal method. Adsorption remediation methods are easily integrated with wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Herein, we have reviewed the literature (1990-2018) illustrating the rising environmental pharmaceutical contamination concerns as well as remediation efforts emphasizing adsorption.

Pharmaceuticals of Emerging Concern in Aquatic Systems: Chemistry, Occurrence, Effects, and Removal Methods.

This review is concerned with evaluating the toxicity associated with human exposure to silver and gold nanoparticles (NPs), due to the relative abundance of toxicity data available for these particles, when compared to other metal particulates. This has allowed knowledge on the current understanding of the field to be gained, and has demonstrated where gaps in knowledge are. It is anticipated that evaluating the hazards associated with silver and gold particles will ultimately enable risk assessments to be completed, by combining this information with knowledge on the level of human exposure. The quantity of available hazard information for metals is greatest for silver particulates, due to its widespread inclusion within a number of diverse products (including clothes and wound dressings), which primarily arises from its antibacterial behaviour. Gold has been used on numerous occasions to assess the biodistribution and cellular uptake of NPs following exposure. Inflammatory, oxidative, genotoxic, and cytotoxic consequences are associated with silver particulate exposure, and are inherently linked. The primary site of gold and silver particulate accumulation has been consistently demonstrated to be the liver, and it is therefore relevant that a number of in vitro investigations have focused on this potential target organ. However, in general there is a lack of in vivo and in vitro toxicity information that allows correlations between the findings to be made. Instead a focus on the tissue distribution of particles following exposure is evident within the available literature, which can be useful in directing appropriate in vitro experimentation by revealing potential target sites of toxicity. The experimental design has the potential to impact on the toxicological observations, and in particular the use of excessively high particle concentrations has been observed. As witnessed for other particle types, gold and silver particle sizes are influential in dictating the observed toxicity, with smaller particles exhibiting a greater response than their larger counterparts, and this is likely to be driven by differences in particle surface area, when administered at an equal-mass dose. A major obstacle, at present, is deciphering whether the responses related to silver nanoparticulate exposure derive from their small size, or particle dissolution contributes to the observed toxicity. Alternatively, a combination of both may be responsible, as the release of ions would be expected to be greater for smaller particles.

A review of the in vivo and in vitro toxicity of silver and gold particulates: Particle attributes and biological mechanisms responsible for the observed toxicity

City clusters are made up of groups of large, nearly contiguous cities with many adjoining satellite cities and towns. Over the past two decades, such clusters have played a leading role in the economic growth of China, owing to their collective economic capacity and interdependency. However, the economic boom has led to a general decline in environmental quality. This paper will review the development and current status of the major environmental problems caused by city clusters, focusing on water and air pollution, and suggest possi- ble strategies for solving these problems. Currently, deteriorating water quality is of major concern to the pub- lic and decision makers alike, and more than three-quarters of the urban population are exposed to air quality that does not meet the national ambient air quality standards of China. Furthermore, this pollution is charac- terized by high concentrations of both primary and secondary pollutants. Environmental pollution issues are therefore much more complex in China than in western countries. China is expected to quadruple its GDP by 2020 (using 2000 as the base year for comparison) and, consequently, will face even more serious environmen- tal challenges. Improving energy efficiency and moderating the consumption of natural resources are essential if China is to achieve a balance between economic development and environmental health.

https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1890/1540-9295%282006%29004%5B0353%3ACCICAA%5D2.0.CO%3B2

City clusters in China: air and surface water pollution

Molecular toxicity mechanism of nanosilver

Infection, as a common postoperative complication of orthopedic surgery, is the main reason leading to implant failure. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are considered as a promising antibacterial agent and always used to modify orthopedic implants to prevent infection. To optimize the implants in a reasonable manner, it is critical for us to know the specific antibacterial mechanism, which is still unclear. In this review, we analyzed the potential antibacterial mechanisms of AgNPs, and the influences of AgNPs on osteogenic-related cells, including cellular adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation, were also discussed. In addition, methods to enhance biocompatibility of AgNPs as well as advanced implants modifications technologies were also summarized.

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Potential antibacterial mechanism of silver nanoparticles and the optimization of orthopedic implants by advanced modification technologies.

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) nonspecifically binds to well-dispersed multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), forming a stable bioconjugate. After accounting for the inner filter effect, we found the fluorescence intensity of BSA was quenched by MWCNTs in static mode, which was authenticated by lifetime measurements and Stern−Volmer calculations. The thermodynamic parameters ΔG°, ΔS°, and ΔH° were −9.67 × 103 + 2.48 × 103 ln λ J·mol−1, 41.0 − 0.828 ln λ J·mol−1·K−1, and 7.30 × 103 + 2.23 × 103 ln λ J·mol−1 (λ < 1 × 10−4), respectively, which shows a spontaneous and electrostatic interaction. Scatchard analysis and UV−visible results provide statistical data concerning changes in the microenvironment of amide moieties in response to different doses of MWCNTs, revealing different behavior of the BSA molecules. The absorption spectra also show that the tertiary structure of the protein was partially destroyed. The content of secondary structure elements of BSA was changed by the tubes. This work elucidates the i...

Xingchen Zhao

Papers

New Insights into the Behavior of Bovine Serum Albumin Adsorbed onto Carbon Nanotubes: Comprehensive Spectroscopic Studies

Recent progress and perspectives on the toxicity of carbon nanotubes at organism, organ, cell, and biomacromolecule levels.

The interaction between Ag+ and bovine serum albumin: A spectroscopic investigation

New strategy for the evaluation of CdTe quantum dot toxicity targeted to bovine serum albumin

Sorption and biodegradation of tetracycline by nitrifying granules and the toxicity of tetracycline on granules.