Farming practices and biodiversity: Evidence from a Mediterranean semi-extensive system on the island of Lemnos (North Aegean, Greece)

Toxicological effect of endocrine disrupting insecticide (deltamethrin) on enzymatical, haematological and histopathological changes in the freshwater iridescent shark, Pangasius hypothalamus

This study investigated the deltamethrin (DMN) induced harmful effects on Pangasius hypophthalmus using enzymatic activity, haematological, and histopathological changes. LC₅₀ value was 0.021mg/L at 96h, and sublethal toxicity was tested for 45 days at two `concentrations (i.e., 1/5^th and 1/10^th of LC₅₀). Haematological parameters and enzymatic activities significantly changed between DMN-exposed and control groups (p<0.05). Histopathologically, both DMN doses induced liver hyperemia, hepatic cell rupture, necrosis, hypertrepheoid bile duct, shifting nuclei, vascular haemorrhage, and hepatocyte degeneration, while in gill, secondary lamellae destruction, a fusion of adjacent gill lamellae, hypertrophy, hyperplasia, adhesion, and fusion were noticed. Kidney developed melanomacrophages, increased periglomerular and peritubular space, vacuolation, decreased glomerulus, hyaline droplets in tubular cells, loss of tubular epithelium, distal convoluted segment hypertrophy, and granular layer in brain pyramid and Purkinje cell nucleus. But, limiting pesticide impacts on freshwater fish and their habitat requires a holistic, cradle-to-grave approach and toxicological studies.

Can Water-Only DNA Extraction Reduce the Logistical Footprint of Biosurveillance and Planetary Health Diagnostics? Toward a New Method

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has raised the stakes for planetary health diagnostics. Because pandemics pose enormous burdens on biosurveillance and diagnostics, reduction of the logistical burdens of pandemics and ecological crises is essential. Moreover, the disruptive effects of catastrophic bioevents impact the supply chains in both highly populated urban centers and rural communities. One "upstream" focus of methodological innovation in biosurveillance is the footprint of Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT)-based assays. We report in this study a water-only DNA extraction, as an initial step in developing future protocols that may require few expendables, and with low environmental footprints, in terms of wet and solid laboratory waste. In the present work, boiling-hot distilled water was used as the main cell lysis agent for direct polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) on crude extracts. After evaluation (1) in blood and mouth swabs for human biomarker genotyping, and (2) in mouth swabs and plant tissue for generic bacterial or fungal detection, and using different combinations of extraction volume, mechanical assistance, and extract dilution, we found the method to be applicable in low-complexity samples, but not in high-complexity ones such as blood and plant tissue. In conclusion, this study examined the doability of a lean approach for template extraction in the case of NAAT-based diagnostics. Testing our approach with different biosamples, PCR settings, and instruments, including portable ones for COVID-19 or dispersed applications, warrant further research. Minimal resources analysis is a concept and practice, vital and timely for biosurveillance, integrative biology, and planetary health in the 21st century.