Earthworms play key roles in soils and sub-lethal effects of environmental toxicants on these organisms should be taken seriously, since they might have detrimental effects on higher ecological levels. In laboratory experiments we have assessed sub-lethal effects (body mass change and cast production) of imidacloprid on two earthworm species commonly found in different agricultural soils (Lumbr...

OBJECTIVE Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is a neurotoxic organophosphorus (OP) insecticide. Its mechanism of action includes oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, and inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE). The aim of the present study is to investigate CPF toxicity in mature and immature cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs), as well as its effect on glutamate induced excitotoxicity. MATERIALS AND...

BACKGROUND Bioactive molecules have received increasing attention due to their nutraceutical attributes and anticancer, antioxidant, antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing properties. This study aimed to investigate the biological properties of carotenoids extracted from Archaea. METHODS Halophilic Archaea strains were isolated from the brine of a local crystallizer pond (TS7) of a solar sa...

Objective(s):Electromagnetic radiations which have lethal effects on the living cells are currently also considered as a disinfective physical agent.   Materials and Methods: In this investigation, silver nanoparticles were applied to enhance the lethal action of low powers (100 and 180 W) of 2450 MHz electromagnetic radiation especially against Escherichia coli ATCC 8739. Silver nanoparticles ...

Here we identified a functional MazEF-dr system in the exceptionally stress-resistant bacterium D. radiodurans. We showed that overexpression of the toxin MazF-dr inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli. The toxic effect of MazF-dr was due to its sequence-specific endoribonuclease activity on RNAs containing a consensus 5'ACA3', and it could be neutralized by MazE-dr. The MazF-dr showed a spec...

Following evidence for the intoxication of bees, the systemic insecticide imidacloprid was suspected from the mid nineties of having harmful effects. Recently, some studies have demonstrated that imidacloprid is toxic for the bees at sub-lethal doses. These doses are evaluated in the range between 1 and 20 μg kg–1, or less. It appeared thus necessary to study the fate of imidacloprid in the env...