Papers

The One Health Concept: 10 Years Old and a Long Road Ahead

This paper reviews the progress and challenges of the One Health concept, which recognizes that human, animal, and environmental health are deeply interconnected. Researchers discuss how emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental pollution including chemical contaminants all require a cross-disciplinary approach. The study emphasizes that addressing modern health threats requires integrating ecological and environmental sciences alongside traditional medicine and veterinary practices.

Advancements in Biodegradable Active Films for Food Packaging: Effects of Nano/Microcapsule Incorporation

This review examines how incorporating nano- and microcapsules containing natural antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds into biodegradable packaging films can extend food shelf life. Researchers found that these capsules protect the active compounds during processing and allow their controlled release over time. The technology offers a promising alternative to synthetic preservatives while also reducing reliance on conventional plastics in food packaging.

SGLT2 inhibition ameliorates nano plastics-induced premature endothelial senescence and dysfunction

Researchers found that nanoplastics cause premature aging and dysfunction in blood vessel lining cells, and that an SGLT2 inhibitor drug could help counteract these effects. The nanoplastics triggered oxidative stress and inflammation in endothelial cells, which are linked to cardiovascular problems. The study suggests a potential therapeutic approach to address some of the vascular damage associated with nanoplastic exposure.

Unlocking secrets of microbial ecotoxicology: recent achievements and future challenges

This review explores how microorganisms interact with environmental pollutants, including microplastics, covering how bacteria can break down pollutants but are also harmed by them. The authors highlight that microplastics create new surfaces in the environment where bacteria form communities, potentially spreading harmful species or antibiotic resistance. Understanding these microbial interactions is critical for developing nature-based solutions to reduce pollution and protect human health.

Current Approaches and Challenges in Advanced Oxidation Processes for Nanoplastic Degradation

This review evaluates current methods for breaking down nanoplastics in water, including ozonation, electrochemical treatment, photocatalysis, and plasma-based processes. Researchers found that while these advanced oxidation techniques show promise, significant gaps remain in treating plastic particles smaller than one micrometer. The study highlights the urgent need for better analytical methods and more effective treatment technologies to address nanoplastic pollution in water sources.

Effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on endothelium senescence and its underlying mechanism

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics can promote premature aging of endothelial cells that line blood vessel walls, using porcine coronary artery cells as a model. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure may affect cardiovascular health by accelerating cellular senescence in the endothelium, a process linked to vascular dysfunction.

Nanoplastics are potentially more dangerous than microplastics

Glyphosate, AMPA and glufosinate in soils and earthworms in a French arable landscape

Researchers sampled soils and earthworms across 120 sites in a French agricultural landscape and found glyphosate in 88% of soil samples and 74% of earthworm samples — including in untreated hedgerows and organic fields — with bioaccumulation in earthworms higher than predicted by the chemical's properties, suggesting underestimated trophic transfer risk.

Structure-properties relationships of cellular materials from biobased polyurethane foams

A double‐edged sword: The complex interplay between engineered nanoparticles and platelets

This review explores how engineered nanoparticles interact with platelets in the bloodstream, which can lead to either beneficial or harmful effects. Researchers found that depending on their size, shape, and surface properties, nanoparticles can activate or inhibit platelet function. The study suggests that understanding these interactions is critical for the safe development of nanomedicine drug delivery systems.

Effects of true to life polyethylene terephthalate and polycaprolactone nanoparticles on macrophages under a repeated exposure mode

Researchers compared how macrophages respond to repeated low-dose exposure to persistent PET nanoparticles versus biodegradable polycaprolactone nanoparticles. They found that cells adapted over repeated exposures, showing less dramatic changes than in single-dose experiments, but PET nanoparticles still induced oxidative stress, reduced phagocytic ability, and triggered pro-inflammatory responses. The study suggests that the biopersistence of conventional plastic nanoparticles like PET may pose more sustained immune system effects compared to biodegradable alternatives.

Enzyme-immobilized hierarchically porous covalent organic framework biocomposite for catalytic degradation of broad-range emerging pollutants in water

Researchers developed an enzyme-immobilized covalent organic framework biocomposite that achieved high enzyme loading with minimal leaching, enabling efficient catalytic degradation of a broad range of emerging water pollutants including microplastics and pharmaceuticals.

Biobased, Biodegradable but not bio-neutral: about the effects of polylactic acid nanoparticles on macrophages

Researchers investigated the effects of polylactic acid nanoparticles, a biobased and biodegradable plastic, on immune cells called macrophages. Despite being marketed as eco-friendly, these nanoparticles triggered inflammatory responses and altered macrophage function in ways similar to conventional plastic nanoparticles. The study cautions that biodegradable plastics are not necessarily biologically neutral and may still pose health risks when broken down to nanoscale particles.

Sustainable cycloaliphatic polyurethanes: from synthesis to applications

This review examines sustainable cycloaliphatic polyurethanes derived from bio-based and recycled feedstocks, covering synthesis routes, properties, and applications as alternatives to conventional fossil-based polyurethanes to reduce environmental impact.

No evidence of microplastic ingestion in emperor penguin chicks (Aptenodytes forsteri) from the Atka Bay colony (Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica)

Researchers found no evidence of microplastic ingestion in emperor penguin chicks from the Atka Bay colony in Antarctica, suggesting that remote Antarctic regions with low human activity may still have limited microplastic contamination in the marine food web.

Molecular response to multiple trace element contamination of the European sardine

This study examined the molecular responses of European sardines to trace element contamination in the Mediterranean Sea. Researchers analyzed physiological biomarkers to understand how anthropogenic pollutants affect this ecologically important marine species, which has been experiencing population declines in the region since 2008.

A comparison of the effects of polystyrene and polycaprolactone nanoplastics on macrophages

A comparison of polystyrene and polycaprolactone nanoplastics on macrophage immune cells found both types induced adverse cellular effects, with the study highlighting that plastic persistence in the environment may drive progressive accumulation leading to chronic immune system impacts.

Effects of true to life polyethylene terephthalate and polycaprolactone nanoparticles on macrophages under a repeated exposure mode

Researchers exposed macrophages to PET and polycaprolactone nanoparticles under a repeated-dose exposure scheme mimicking chronic environmental exposure, finding that repeated exposures altered immune cell function differently than single-dose protocols commonly used in prior studies.

U–Pb geochronology of Variscan granitoids from the Moroccan Meseta (Northwest Africa): Tectonic implications

MIXed plastics biodegradation and UPcycling using microbial communities: EU Horizon 2020 project MIX-UP started January 2020

Researchers introduced the EU-funded MIX-UP project, which aims to use microbial communities and engineered enzymes to biodegrade and upcycle mixed plastic waste — including polyethylene, polypropylene, PET, and polystyrene — into valuable chemicals and new biomaterials. The project represents a shift from traditional plastic recycling toward biological circular economy approaches that could handle the plastic types most difficult to recycle mechanically.

Trashy treasures? The increasing terrestrial invertebrate diversity in small-scale dumps

Researchers surveyed terrestrial invertebrate diversity in small-scale plastic debris accumulations, finding that some invertebrate groups colonize and use plastic litter as habitat, creating complex interactions between pollution and biodiversity.

Fluorescent bioinspired albumin/polydopamine nanoparticles and their interactions with <i>Escherichia coli</i> cells

This paper is not about microplastic pollution. It describes the synthesis of fluorescent polydopamine nanoparticles coated with albumin protein, designed as potential drug delivery vehicles or bacterial markers. The nanoparticles were shown to penetrate E. coli cells without killing them.

Photocatalytic degradation of polystyrene nanoplastics in water. A methodological study

Efficient photocatalytic mineralization of polymethylmethacrylate and polystyrene nanoplastics by TiO2/β-SiC alveolar foams